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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Trends and determinants of HIV transmission among men who inject drugs in the Pokhara Valley, Nepal: analysis of cross-sectional studies
BMC Public Health, Volume 21, No. 1, Article 269, Year 2021
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Description
Background: HIV is a major public health issue around the world, especially in developing countries. Although the overall prevalence of HIV in Nepal is relatively low, there are specific sub-populations where the prevalence is far higher than the national average. One of these sub-groups is male people who inject drugs (male PWIDs). In order to understand the reasons for the differences in prevalence, a series of socio-demographic, behavioural and knowledge-based risk factors need to be assessed. Methods: The study used a series of 7 cross-sectional survey datasets from Pokhara (Nepal), collected between 2003 and 2017 (N = 2235) to investigate trends in HIV prevalence among male PWIDs by socio-demographic and behavioural and knowledge-based risk factors. A series of logistic regression models were conducted to investigate the association between study factors and HIV. Results: HIV prevalence decreased from the levels seen in 2003 (22.0%) and 2005 (21.7%), with the lowest prevalence recorded in 2015 (2.6%), however prevalence has increased in the most recent period (4.9%). A lower risk of HIV was associated with younger age (<=24 years compared to > 24 years, OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.10–0.31), being married (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.25–3.02) and shorter duration of drug use (<=4 years compared to > 4 years, OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.09–0.29). A higher risk of HIV was associated with low (compared to secondary or higher) education level (OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.75–4.36), a lack of addiction treatment (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.64–4.08), and recent use of unsterilized injection equipment (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.20–4.11). Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV in male PWIDs in Pokhara has been variable, but overall has reduced in recent years to 2.6% before increasing in 2017 to 4.9%. The main determinants which increase the risk of HIV among male PWIDs in Pokhara are low education level, a lack of treatment for drug addiction and the recent use of unsterilised equipment. Each of these indicate the need to improve addiction treatment and education programs for intra-venous drug use to aid this key population in avoiding risk-taking behaviours. © 2021, The Author(s).
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC7856790/bin/12889_2021_10331_MOESM1_ESM.docx
Authors & Co-Authors
Page, Andrew Nicolas
Australia, Penrith
Western Sydney University
Ogbo, Felix Akpojene
Australia, Penrith
Western Sydney University
Dixit, Sameer Mani
Nepal, Kathmandu
Center for Molecular Dynamics
Rajbhandari, Rajesh Man
Nepal, Kathmandu
Center for Molecular Dynamics
Deuba, Keshab
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Institutet
Nepal, Kathmandu
National Center for Aids and Std Control, Nepal
Statistics
Citations: 2
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1186/s12889-021-10331-9
ISSN:
14712458
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Substance Abuse
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Participants Gender
Male