ArticleJournal of public health in Africa2025
The Nexus of HIV, substance abuse, and mental health among adolescents in Zambia (2021-2023).
Article in Journal of public health in Africa, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Adolescents in Zambia face interrelated health challenges, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), substance abuse and mental health disorders (MHDs). These issues have significant public health implications, as substance abuse and MHDs are known to increase the risk of HIV incidence. Aim: This study aimed to analyse trends in HIV incidence, substance abuse and MHDs among Zambian adolescents aged 10-19 years from 2021 to 2023. Setting: Data were retrieved from the Health Management Information System under Zambia's Ministry of Health, covering all 10 provinces. Methods: A retrospective analysis of secondary data was conducted using District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), the Ministry of Health's primary data system. Microsoft Excel and Stata were used for descriptive statistics and regression analysis to examine potential associations. Results: Findings indicate an increase in national HIV incidence rates from 1.89 in 2021 to 1.99 in 2022, before a decrease to 1.73 in 2023. Substance abuse also showed an upward trend, rising from 0.35 to 0.68 per 1000 adolescents. Incidence of MHDs more than doubled from 0.7 in 2021 to 1.54 in 2023, with Lusaka and Northwestern provinces showing the most significant increases. Our linear correlational analysis showed a positive relationship among the key variables. Conclusion: The results underscore the interconnectedness of HIV, substance abuse and mental health issues among adolescents in Zambia, emphasising the need for integrated interventions. Contribution: This study contributes valuable insights for policy and programme development, highlighting the need for targeted, holistic approaches in adolescent health services to address these interconnected issues effectively.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.