Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32985772›Full record

ArticleJournal of the International AIDS Society2020

Identifying groups of people with similar sociobehavioural characteristics in Malawi to inform HIV interventions: a latent class analysis.

Aziza Merzouki, Amanda Styles, Janne Estill, Erol Orel, Zofia Baranczuk, Karen Petrie, Olivia Keiser

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Aziza MerzoukiInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-6418-2945
Amanda StylesUniversity of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Janne EstillInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-9544-1447
Erol OrelInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Zofia BaranczukInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Karen PetrieUniversity of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Olivia KeiserInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
University of Geneva · CHUniversity of Dundee · GB

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation 163878
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionWithin many sub-Saharan African countries including Malawi, HIV prevalence varies widely between regions. This variability may be related to the distribution of population groups with specific sociobehavioural characteristics that influence the transmission of HIV and the uptake of prevention. In this study, we intended to identify groups of people in Malawi with similar risk profiles.

methodsWe used data from the Demographic and Health Survey in Malawi (2015 to 2016), and stratified the analysis by sex. We considered demographic, socio-behavioural and HIV-related variables. Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), we identified groups of people sharing common sociobehavioural characteristics. The optimal number of classes (groups) was selected based on the Bayesian information criterion. We compared the proportions of individuals belonging to the different groups across the three regions and 28 districts of Malawi.

resultsWe found nine groups of women and six groups of men. Most women in the groups with highest risk of being HIV positive were living in female-headed households and were formerly married or in a union. Among men, older men had the highest risk of being HIV positive, followed by young (20 to 25) single men. Generally, low HIV testing uptake correlated with lower risk of having HIV. However, rural adolescent girls had a low probability of being tested (48.7%) despite a relatively high HIV prevalence. Urban districts and the Southern region had a higher percentage of high-prevalence and less tested groups of individuals than other areas.

conclusionsLCA is an efficient method to find groups of people sharing common HIV risk profiles, identify particularly vulnerable sub-populations, and plan targeted interventions focusing on these groups. Tailored support, prevention and HIV testing programmes should focus particularly on female household heads, adolescent girls living in rural areas, older married men and young men who have never been married.

Indexed as

Social BehaviorAdolescentAdultBayes TheoremChildFemaleHIV InfectionsHumansLatent Class AnalysisLiteracyMalawiMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceRural PopulationSex FactorsHIV prevalenceHIV testinglatent class analysisMalawirisk groupsspatial distribution

Identifiers

PMID32985772
PMCPMC7521110
OpenAlexW3088833656

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.