Plos One
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HIV self-testing (HIVST), which allows people to test in private, is an innovative testing strategy that has been shown to increase HIV testing among men. Delivering HIVST kits to men via women is one promising assisted partner service strategy. Little research has been conducted on HIVST secondary distribution to men by women living with HIV (WLWH) in the Caribbean and other settings. ⋯ The perceived disadvantages were lack of support to ensure self-testers initiate treatment, uncertainty about male partner's reaction, risk of violence towards women delivering HIVST kits after receiving an HIVST kit from a woman, and the inability of women to counsel a man in case his self-test result is positive. Recommendations for integrating HIVST and secondary distribution of HIVST by WLWH included coupling HIVST distribution with public information, education, and communication through media and social marketing, relying on community health workers to mediate use of HIVST and ensure linkage to care, piloting HIVST programs on a small scale. HIVST is an appropriate and feasible strategy HIV prevention for men and women; however, more research is needed on how best to implement different strategies for this approach in the Caribbean.
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Wheelchair users with spinal cord injury are at a high risk of falls. However, the perspectives of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury on their fall circumstances and their preferences for fall prevention strategies/interventions remain understudied. Therefore, we aimed to: a) describe the circumstances of falls experienced by wheelchair users with spinal cord injury over a six-month period, b) explore their perspectives of why falls occurred in certain situations, and c) explore their perspectives on recommended content/structure of fall prevention strategies/interventions. ⋯ Fall prevention strategies/interventions should be an integral component of rehabilitation practices across the lifespan. Participants recommend customizing fall prevention strategies/interventions to their specific needs to guide the structure, content, and delivery of targeted fall prevention programs.
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Theories of health outcomes often hypothesize that living in more socially and economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods will lead to worse health. Multiple measures of neighbourhood disadvantage are available to researchers, which may serve as better or worse proxies for each other across time. To inform longitudinal study design and interpretation we investigated how perceived and objective measures of neighbourhood disadvantage vary over time and the factors underlying this variation. ⋯ Trajectories of perceived and objective measures of neighbourhood disadvantage varied over time, with the extent of variation depending on the time point of measurement and individual-level social factors. Researchers should be mindful of this variation when choosing and determining the timing of measures of neighbourhood disadvantage in longitudinal studies and when inferring effect mechanisms.
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Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a wide variety of chronic progressive pulmonary diseases characterized by lung inflammation, fibrosis and hypoxemia and can progress to respiratory failure and even death. ILDs are associated with varying degrees of quality of life impairments in affected people. Studies on the quality of life in patients with ILDs are still limited, and there are few studies with long-term follow-up periods in these patients. ⋯ HRQoL in both IIP and CTD-ILD patients deteriorates to varying degrees, and the trend suggests that poor HRQoL in these patients is associated with many determinants, primarily dyspnea, cough and depression. Improving HRQoL is the main aim when treating patients living with ILDs.
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Considering its pandemicity and absence of effective treatment, authorities across the globe have designed various mitigation strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19. Although adherence towards preventive measures is the only means to tackle the virus, reluctance to do so has been reported to be a major problem everywhere. Thus, this study aimed to assess the community's adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation strategies and its associated factors among Gondar City residents, Northwest Ethiopia. ⋯ The findings have indicated that nearly half of the study participants had poor adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Sex, level of information exposure, attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures, and risk perception of COVID-19 were factors which significantly influenced the adherence of the community towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Therefore, it is crucial to track adherence responses towards the COVID-19 preventive measures, scale up the community's awareness of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies through appropriate information outlets, mainstream media, and rely on updating information from TV, radio, and health care workers about COVID-19.