Understanding Repeat Positive HIV Testing in South Africa Under Changing Treatment Guidelines.

Authors

Maria F. Nardell, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Bethany Hedt-Gauthier, Harvard Medical School
Valerie A. Earnshaw, University of Delaware
Laura M. Bogart, RAND Corporation
Janan J. Dietrich, University of Witwatersrand
Ingrid Courtney, University of Cape Town Medical School
Gugulethu Tshabalala, University of Witwatersrand
Jacob Bor, Boston University School of Public Health
Catherine Orrell, University of Cape Town Medical SchoolFollow
Glenda Gray, University of Witwatersrand
David R. Bangsberg, OHSU-PSU School of Public HealthFollow
Ingrid T. Katz, Harvard Medical School

Sponsor

This study was funded by Grant Number K23 MH097667 (Katz) from the U.S. National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), Grant Number T32 A1007433 (Nardell) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Grant Number P30MH058107 (Bogart) from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Published In

AIDS and Behavior

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

10-27-2021

Abstract

Some people with HIV (PWH) test positive multiple times without initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART). We surveyed 496 ART-eligible PWH following routine HIV testing at three clinics in Soweto and Gugulethu, South Africa in 2014-2015. Among repeat positive testers (RPTs) in this cohort, we compared rates of treatment initiation by prior treatment eligibility and assessed psychosocial predictors of treatment initiation in logistic regression models. RPTs represented 33.8% of PWH in this cohort. Less than half of those who reported eligibility for ART on prior testing started treatment upon retesting, in contrast to two thirds of RPTs who were previously ineligible for treatment who started treatment once they learned of their eligibility. Those who reported coping through substance use were more likely to decline treatment versus those not using substances. PWH who test repeatedly represent a vulnerable population at risk for ART non-initiation who may benefit from interventions addressing individualized coping strategies.

Rights

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03493-5

DOI

10.1007/s10461-021-03493-5

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36963

Citation Details

Nardell, M. F., Hedt-Gauthier, B., Earnshaw, V. A., Bogart, L. M., Dietrich, J. J., Courtney, I., Tshabalala, G., Bor, J., Orrell, C., Gray, G., Bangsberg, D. R., & Katz, I. T. (2021). Understanding Repeat Positive HIV Testing in South Africa Under Changing Treatment Guidelines. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03493-5