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Waterlow NR, Kleynhans J, Wolter N, Tempia S, Eggo RM, Hellferscee O, Lebina L, Martinson N, Wagner RG, Moyes J, von Gottberg A, Cohen C, Flasche S. Correction: Transient increased risk of influenza infection following RSV infection in South Africa: findings from the PHIRST study, South Africa, 2016-2018. BMC Med 2024; 22:128. [PMID: 38515097 PMCID: PMC10958947 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03355-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi R Waterlow
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rosalind M Eggo
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Orienka Hellferscee
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
| | - Neil Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- John Hopkins University Center for TB Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, South African Medical Research Council/Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jocelyn Moyes
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Cohen
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefan Flasche
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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Dall’Amico L, Kleynhans J, Gauvin L, Tizzoni M, Ozella L, Makhasi M, Wolter N, Language B, Wagner RG, Cohen C, Tempia S, Cattuto C. Estimating household contact matrices structure from easily collectable metadata. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296810. [PMID: 38483886 PMCID: PMC10939291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Contact matrices are a commonly adopted data representation, used to develop compartmental models for epidemic spreading, accounting for the contact heterogeneities across age groups. Their estimation, however, is generally time and effort consuming and model-driven strategies to quantify the contacts are often needed. In this article we focus on household contact matrices, describing the contacts among the members of a family and develop a parametric model to describe them. This model combines demographic and easily quantifiable survey-based data and is tested on high resolution proximity data collected in two sites in South Africa. Given its simplicity and interpretability, we expect our method to be easily applied to other contexts as well and we identify relevant questions that need to be addressed during the data collection procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Laetitia Gauvin
- ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy
- Institute for Research on sustainable Development, UMR215 PRODIG, Aubervilliers, France
| | - Michele Tizzoni
- ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy
- Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Mvuyo Makhasi
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Language
- Unit for Environmental Science and Management, Climatology Research Group, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Agincourt, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Cohen
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ciro Cattuto
- ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy
- Department of Informatics, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Audet CM, Seabi T, Oyekunle T, Hove J, Wagner RG. A individually randomized controlled trial comparing Healer-led vs. clinician- led training to improve personal protective equipment use among traditional healers in South Africa. PLOS Glob Public Health 2024; 4:e0002945. [PMID: 38394119 PMCID: PMC10889871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Like allopathic healthcare workers, healers are also exposed to patients' blood and body fluids. A widespread practice is the traditional "injection," in which the healer performs subcutaneous incisions to rub herbs directly into the bloodied skin, resulting in 1,500 blood exposures over their lifetime. We tested the impact of healer-led PPE training, staffed by trained traditional healers who reported using PPE during each risky clinical encounter vs. healthcare worker (HCW)-led PPE training sessions. We randomized 136 healers into one of the two study arms (67 in the healer-led group, 69 in the HCW-led group) and assessed the impact of trainer on PPE skills and use over a six-month period. All healers received one in-person day of didactic and practical training followed by three sessions at the healers' home. Participants were largely female (80%), averaged 51 years old, and practiced as a healer for an average of 17 years. Almost 44% either disclosed themselves as HIV+ or received a positive HIV test result at study initiation. Healers in the HCW arm showed equivalent PPE scores as those trained by traditional healers at baseline and at seven months. Healers in both arms self-reported high levels of glove use during"injections," with no statistical difference of use by study arm. When we assessed actual gloves and razor blades disposed of each month, a similar trend emerged. No one seroconverted during the study period. The need for PPE support among traditional healers cannot be ignored. Traditional healers can be trained to effectively disseminate PPE knowledge and skills to other traditional healers. With an estimated 200,000 traditional healers in South Africa, it is imperative that all of them have access to PPE training and supplies to prevent HIV, HCV, or HBV infections. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04440813. Registered 17 June 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04440813.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M. Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Tshegofatso Seabi
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Taofik Oyekunle
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Hove
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Mwangala PN, Nasambu C, Wagner RG, Newton CR, Abubakar A. Prevalence and Factors Associated With Frailty Among Older Adults Living With HIV Compared to Their Uninfected Peers From the Kenyan Coast. Int J Public Health 2024; 69:1606284. [PMID: 38426187 PMCID: PMC10901986 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives: a) To document the prevalence and correlates of frailty among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) and their uninfected peers, and b) Investigate HIV status as an independent predictor of frailty. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 at the Kenyan coast among 440 older adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). Frailty was assessed using the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of frailty. Results: The prevalence of frailty was significantly higher among OALWH (24%) than their uninfected peers (13%). HIV seropositivity was not independently associated with frailty. Sleeping difficulties, ageism, higher waist/hip ratio, visiting traditional healers, HIV treatment change/interruption, prolonged illness following HIV diagnosis, and self-reported diabetes were significantly associated with higher odds of frailty. Residing in larger households, having higher income, having friends, being male and light physical activities were significantly associated with reduced odds of frailty. Conclusion: The prevalence of frailty is elevated among OALWH; however, factors other than HIV are predominant, particularly psychosocial factors. Multicomponent interventions are needed to prevent/delay and manage frailty in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick N. Mwangala
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carophine Nasambu
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Charles R. Newton
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Amina Abubakar
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
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Yu X, Kabudula CW, Wagner RG, Bassil DT, Farrell MT, Tollman SM, Kahn K, Berkman LF, Rosenberg MS, Kobayashi LC. Mid-life employment trajectories and subsequent memory function and rate of decline in rural South Africa, 2000-22. Int J Epidemiol 2024; 53:dyae022. [PMID: 38365967 PMCID: PMC10873492 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate mid-life employment trajectories in relation to later-life memory function and rate of decline in rural South Africa. METHODS Data from the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System were linked to the 'Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa' (HAALSI) in rural Agincourt, South Africa (N = 3133). Employment was assessed every 4 years over 2000-12 as being employed (0, 1, 2 and ≥3 time points), being employed in a higher-skill occupation (0, 1, 2 and ≥3 time points) and dynamic employment trajectories identified using sequence analysis. Latent memory z-scores were assessed over 2014-22. Mixed-effects linear regression models were fitted to examine the associations of interest. RESULTS Sustained mid-life employment from 2000-12 (β = 0.052, 95% CI: -0.028 to 0.132, 1 vs 0 time points; β = 0.163, 95% CI: 0.077 to 0.250, 2 vs 0 time points; β = 0.212, 95% CI: 0.128 to 0.296, ≥3 vs 0 time points) and greater time spent in a higher-skill occupation (β = 0.077, 95% CI: -0.020 to 0.175, 1 vs 0 time points; β = 0.241, 95% CI: 0.070 to 0.412, 2 vs 0 time points; β = 0.361, 95% CI: 0.201 to 0.520, ≥3 vs 0 time points) were associated with higher memory scores in 2014/15, but not subsequent rate of memory decline. Moving from a lower-skill to higher-skill occupation was associated with higher memory function, but a faster rate of decline over 2014-22. CONCLUSIONS Sustained mid-life employment, particularly in higher-skill occupations, may contribute to later-life memory function in this post-Apartheid South African setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuexin Yu
- Centre for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chodziwadziwa W Kabudula
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Darina T Bassil
- Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephen M Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Molly S Rosenberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Centre for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Wagner F, Wagner RG, Makuapane LP, Masango M, Kolanisi U, Gómez-Olivé FX. Mental distress, food insecurity and university student dropout during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: evidence from South Africa. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1336538. [PMID: 38380123 PMCID: PMC10876832 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1336538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Student dropout has been a key issue facing universities for many years. The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to exacerbate these trends; however, international literature has produced conflicting findings. Limited literature from Africa has investigated the impact of COVID-19 on student dropout trends, despite the documented devastation, including increased risk of food insecurity and mental distress, caused by the pandemic. Objective This work seeks to understand the impact of food insecurity and mental distress on student dropout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Using a cross-sectional research design, first-year undergraduate students from a large South African university were recruited via email to participate in a survey between September and October 2020. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to measure food insecurity and the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) was used to measure mental distress. Multivariate regression was used to investigate factors associated with student dropout. Results The student dropout rate was 10.5% (95% CI: 8.2-13.2). The prevalence of severe food insecurity was 25.7% (95% CI: 22.3-29.4) and the prevalence of severe mental distress symptoms was 26.7% (95% CI: 23.3-30.4). Dropout rates and levels of food insecurity were highest among students residing in remote areas during the lockdown at 19.2% and 43.6%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression revealed that being male increased the probability of dropout almost three-fold (odds ratio (OR) = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.48-4.89, p =0.001)). Being moderately food insecure increased the odds of dropout more than two-fold (OR=2.50; 95% CI:1.12-5.55, p=0.025), and experiencing severe mental distress symptoms increased the odds of dropout seven-fold (OR=7.08; 95% CI:2.67-18.81, p<0.001). Conclusion While acknowledging that various factors and complexities contribute to student dropout, the increased vulnerability to food insecurity and mental distress, stemming from issues such as widespread job losses and isolation experienced during the pandemic, may have also had an impact on dropout. This work reiterates the importance of directing additional support to students who are food insecure and those who are experiencing mental distress in order to mitigate university student dropout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fezile Wagner
- Analytics and Institutional Research Unit (AIRU), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lerato P. Makuapane
- Analytics and Institutional Research Unit (AIRU), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mxolisi Masango
- Department of Institutional Planning (DIP), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Unathi Kolanisi
- Department of Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, South Africa
| | - Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Kariuki SM, Wagner RG, Gunny R, D'Arco F, Kombe M, Ngugi AK, White S, Odhiambo R, Cross JH, Sander JW, Newton CRJC. Magnetic resonance imaging findings in Kenyans and South Africans with active convulsive epilepsy: An observational study. Epilepsia 2024; 65:165-176. [PMID: 37964464 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Focal epilepsy is common in low- and middle-income countries. The frequency and nature of possible underlying structural brain abnormalities have, however, not been fully assessed. METHODS We evaluated the possible structural causes of epilepsy in 331 people with epilepsy (240 from Kenya and 91 from South Africa) identified from community surveys of active convulsive epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired on 1.5-Tesla scanners to determine the frequency and nature of any underlying lesions. We estimated the prevalence of these abnormalities using Bayesian priors (from an earlier pilot study) and observed data (from this study). We used a mixed-effect modified Poisson regression approach with the site as a random effect to determine the clinical features associated with neuropathology. RESULTS MRI abnormalities were found in 140 of 240 (modeled prevalence = 59%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 53%-64%) of people with epilepsy in Kenya, and in 62 of 91 (modeled prevalence = 65%, 95% CI: 57%-73%) in South Africa, with a pooled modeled prevalence of 61% (95% CI: 56%-66%). Abnormalities were common in those with a history of adverse perinatal events (15/23 [65%, 95% CI: 43%-84%]), exposure to parasitic infections (83/120 [69%, 95% CI: 60%-77%]) and focal electroencephalographic features (97/142 [68%, 95% CI: 60%-76%]), but less frequent in individuals with generalized electroencephalographic features (44/99 [44%, 95% CI: 34%-55%]). Most abnormalities were potentially epileptogenic (167/202, 82%), of which mesial temporal sclerosis (43%) and gliosis (34%) were the most frequent. Abnormalities were associated with co-occurrence of generalized non-convulsive seizures (relative risk [RR] = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25), lack of family history of seizures (RR = 0.91, 0.86-0.96), convulsive status epilepticus (RR = 1.14, 1.08-1.21), frequent seizures (RR = 1.12, 1.04-1.20), and reported use of anti-seizure medication (RR = 1.22, 1.18-1.26). SIGNIFICANCE MRI identified pathologies are common in people with epilepsy in Kenya and South Africa. Mesial temporal sclerosis, the most common abnormality, may be amenable to surgical correction. MRI may have a diagnostic value in rural Africa, but future longitudinal studies should examine the prognostic role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Symon M Kariuki
- Neurosciences Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Roxana Gunny
- Department of Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK
| | - Felice D'Arco
- Department of Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK
| | - Martha Kombe
- Neurosciences Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Anthony K Ngugi
- Department of Population Health, Medical College, Aga Khan University of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Rachael Odhiambo
- Department of Population Health, Medical College, Aga Khan University of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - J Helen Cross
- Developmental Neurosciences, UCL, NIHR BRC Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Josemir W Sander
- Department of Clinical & Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Chalfont St Peter, UK
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Chengdu, China
- Institute of Brain Science & Brain-Inspired Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Charles R J C Newton
- Neurosciences Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Sack DE, Seabi TM, Frisby MB, Diemer MA, Ndlovu GH, Wagner RG, Audet CM. Exploratory validation of relationship functioning and non-pregnant partner behavior scales in pregnant people living with HIV in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Glob Health Action 2023; 16:2210882. [PMID: 37171405 PMCID: PMC10184612 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2023.2210882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Partner engagement in antenatal care can improve care for pregnant people living with HIV. However, concerns about engaging unsupportive non-pregnant partners warrant further study to avoid engaging partners who pressure their pregnant partner to refuse testing or treatment and/or perpetuate intimate partner violence. We adapted established relationship functioning and partner behaviour questionnaires among pregnant people living with HIV initiating antenatal care in rural South Africa. We identified 13 previously validated psychometric scales with 255 items that assess relationship functioning and partner behaviour, but, to our knowledge, had not been used in Southern Africa. After item translation and cognitive interviewing with 30 pregnant people, we recruited an additional 208 pregnant people living with HIV receiving antenatal care. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis with maximum-likelihood extraction and oblique promax rotation with the 58 items and 10 scales that remained after translation and cognitive interviewing. We used parallel analysis, scree plots, and the Kaiser criterion to guide factor retention and assessed internal factor consistency via Cronbach's alpha. Of the 208 participants recruited, 197 (95%) answered each question and were included in the analysis. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 7 factors that assessed partner social support, sexual relationship power, emotional intimacy, threatened or enacted violence, sexual intimacy, violence in relationships, and partner engagement in pregnancy care via 37 items. Factor absolute Spearman correlations ranged from 0.012 to 0.518 and Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.84 to 0.92. This preliminary analysis will guide further scale development. Future developments will also include relevant clinical outcomes to assess the predictive validity of the resulting measures. These steps will further refine these questions into a succinct screening tool to assess relationship functioning and partner behaviour. This screening tool may eventually guide the selection of partner-based interventions during pregnancy to improve outcomes for pregnant people and their partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Sack
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tshegofatso M Seabi
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Michael B Frisby
- Department of Educational Policy Studies and the Research, Measurement, and Statistics Program, College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Godfrey H Ndlovu
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carolyn M Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Del Brutto VJ, Khasiyev F, Liu M, Spagnolo-Allende A, Qiao Y, Melgarejo Arias JD, Guzman VA, Igwe KC, Sanchez DL, Andrews H, Morales CD, Farrell MT, Bassil DT, Seshadri S, Wagner RG, Mngomezulu V, Manly J, Elkind MS, Berkman L, Romero JR, Maestre GE, Del Brutto OH, Brickman AM, Venketasubramanian N, Chen C, Robert C, Hilal S, Rundek T, Wasserman BA, Gutierrez J. Association of brain arterial diameters with demographic and anatomical factors in a multi-national pooled analysis of cohort studies. Neuroradiol J 2023:19714009231224429. [PMID: 38148489 DOI: 10.1177/19714009231224429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Brain arterial diameters are markers of cerebrovascular disease. Demographic and anatomical factors may influence arterial diameters. We hypothesize that age, sex, height, total cranial volume (TCV), and persistent fetal posterior cerebral artery (fPCA) correlate with brain arterial diameters across populations. METHODS Participants had a time-of-flight MRA from nine international cohorts. Arterial diameters of the cavernous internal carotid arteries (ICA), middle cerebral arteries (MCA), and basilar artery (BA) were measured using LAVA software. Regression models assessed the association between exposures and brain arterial diameters. RESULTS We included 6,518 participants (mean age: 70 ± 9 years; 41% men). Unilateral fPCA was present in 13.2% and bilateral in 3.2%. Larger ICA, MCA, and BA diameters correlated with older age (Weighted average [WA] per 10 years: 0.18 mm, 0.11 mm, and 0.12 mm), male sex (WA: 0.24 mm, 0.13 mm, and 0.21 mm), and TCV (WA: for one TCV standard deviation: 0.24 mm, 0.29 mm, and 0.18 mm). Unilateral and bilateral fPCAs showed a positive correlation with ICA diameters (WA: 0.39 mm and 0.73 mm) and negative correlation with BA diameters (WA: -0.88 mm and -1.73 mm). Regression models including age, sex, TCV, and fPCA explained on average 15%, 13%, and 25% of the ICA, MCA, and BA diameter interindividual variation, respectively. Using height instead of TCV as a surrogate of head size decreased the R-squared by 3% on average. CONCLUSION Brain arterial diameters correlated with age, sex, TCV, and fPCA. These factors should be considered when defining abnormal diameter cutoffs across populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ye Qiao
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard University, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Darina T Bassil
- Harvard University, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Victor Mngomezulu
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | | | - Lisa Berkman
- Harvard University, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Gladys E Maestre
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, University of Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Harlingen, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | - Christopher Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Memory Aging and Cognition Center, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Caroline Robert
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Memory Aging and Cognition Center, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Saima Hilal
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Memory Aging and Cognition Center, National University Health System, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Bruce A Wasserman
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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10
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Waterlow NR, Kleynhans J, Wolter N, Tempia S, Eggo RM, Hellferscee O, Lebina L, Martinson N, Wagner RG, Moyes J, von Gottberg A, Cohen C, Flasche S. Transient increased risk of influenza infection following RSV infection in South Africa: findings from the PHIRST study, South Africa, 2016-2018. BMC Med 2023; 21:441. [PMID: 37968614 PMCID: PMC10647169 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03100-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Large-scale prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may have ecological consequences for co-circulating pathogens, including influenza. We assessed if and for how long RSV infection alters the risk for subsequent influenza infection. METHODS We analysed a prospective longitudinal cohort study conducted in South Africa between 2016 and 2018. For participating households, nasopharyngeal samples were taken twice weekly, irrespective of symptoms, across three respiratory virus seasons, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify infection with RSV and/or influenza. We fitted an individual-level hidden Markov transmission model in order to estimate RSV and influenza infection rates and their interdependence. RESULTS Of a total of 122,113 samples collected, 1265 (1.0%) were positive for influenza and 1002 (0.8%) positive for RSV, with 15 (0.01%) samples from 12 individuals positive for both influenza and RSV. We observed a 2.25-fold higher incidence of co-infection than expected if assuming infections were unrelated. We estimated that infection with influenza is 2.13 (95% CI 0.97-4.69) times more likely when already infected with, and for a week following, RSV infection, adjusted for age. This equates to 1.4% of influenza infections that may be attributable to RSV in this population. Due to the local seasonality (RSV season precedes the influenza season), we were unable to estimate changes in RSV infection risk following influenza infection. CONCLUSIONS We find no evidence to suggest that RSV was associated with a subsequent reduced risk of influenza infection. Instead, we observed an increased risk for influenza infection for a short period after infection. However, the impact on population-level transmission dynamics of this individual-level synergistic effect was not measurable in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi R Waterlow
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rosalind M Eggo
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Orienka Hellferscee
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
| | - Neil Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- John Hopkins University Center for TB Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, South African Medical Research Council/Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jocelyn Moyes
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Cohen
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefan Flasche
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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Rowe K, Ruiz Pozuelo J, Nickless A, Nkosi AD, Dos Santos A, Kahn K, Tollman S, Wagner RG, Scerif G, Stein A. The adolescent HIV executive function and drumming (AHEAD) study, a feasibility trial of a group drumming intervention amongst adolescents with HIV. AIDS Care 2023; 35:1796-1814. [PMID: 37039077 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2023.2195607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Rowe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Julia Ruiz Pozuelo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of African Economies, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alecia Nickless
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Exploristics, Belfast, UK
| | - Absolum David Nkosi
- Odeion School of Music, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | | | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alan Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
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12
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Stevelink R, Campbell C, Chen S, Abou-Khalil B, Adesoji OM, Afawi Z, Amadori E, Anderson A, Anderson J, Andrade DM, Annesi G, Auce P, Avbersek A, Bahlo M, Baker MD, Balagura G, Balestrini S, Barba C, Barboza K, Bartolomei F, Bast T, Baum L, Baumgartner T, Baykan B, Bebek N, Becker AJ, Becker F, Bennett CA, Berghuis B, Berkovic SF, Beydoun A, Bianchini C, Bisulli F, Blatt I, Bobbili DR, Borggraefe I, Bosselmann C, Braatz V, Bradfield JP, Brockmann K, Brody LC, Buono RJ, Busch RM, Caglayan H, Campbell E, Canafoglia L, Canavati C, Cascino GD, Castellotti B, Catarino CB, Cavalleri GL, Cerrato F, Chassoux F, Cherny SS, Cheung CL, Chinthapalli K, Chou IJ, Chung SK, Churchhouse C, Clark PO, Cole AJ, Compston A, Coppola A, Cosico M, Cossette P, Craig JJ, Cusick C, Daly MJ, Davis LK, de Haan GJ, Delanty N, Depondt C, Derambure P, Devinsky O, Di Vito L, Dlugos DJ, Doccini V, Doherty CP, El-Naggar H, Elger CE, Ellis CA, Eriksson JG, Faucon A, Feng YCA, Ferguson L, Ferraro TN, Ferri L, Feucht M, Fitzgerald M, Fonferko-Shadrach B, Fortunato F, Franceschetti S, Franke A, French JA, Freri E, Gagliardi M, Gambardella A, Geller EB, Giangregorio T, Gjerstad L, Glauser T, Goldberg E, Goldman A, Granata T, Greenberg DA, Guerrini R, Gupta N, Haas KF, Hakonarson H, Hallmann K, Hassanin E, Hegde M, Heinzen EL, Helbig I, Hengsbach C, Heyne HO, Hirose S, Hirsch E, Hjalgrim H, Howrigan DP, Hucks D, Hung PC, Iacomino M, Imbach LL, Inoue Y, Ishii A, Jamnadas-Khoda J, Jehi L, Johnson MR, Kälviäinen R, Kamatani Y, Kanaan M, Kanai M, Kantanen AM, Kara B, Kariuki SM, Kasperavičiūte D, Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite D, Kato M, Kegele J, Kesim Y, Khoueiry-Zgheib N, King C, Kirsch HE, Klein KM, Kluger G, Knake S, Knowlton RC, Koeleman BPC, Korczyn AD, Koupparis A, Kousiappa I, Krause R, Krenn M, Krestel H, Krey I, Kunz WS, Kurki MI, Kurlemann G, Kuzniecky R, Kwan P, Labate A, Lacey A, Lal D, Landoulsi Z, Lau YL, Lauxmann S, Leech SL, Lehesjoki AE, Lemke JR, Lerche H, Lesca G, Leu C, Lewin N, Lewis-Smith D, Li GHY, Li QS, Licchetta L, Lin KL, Lindhout D, Linnankivi T, Lopes-Cendes I, Lowenstein DH, Lui CHT, Madia F, Magnusson S, Marson AG, May P, McGraw CM, Mei D, Mills JL, Minardi R, Mirza N, Møller RS, Molloy AM, Montomoli M, Mostacci B, Muccioli L, Muhle H, Müller-Schlüter K, Najm IM, Nasreddine W, Neale BM, Neubauer B, Newton CRJC, Nöthen MM, Nothnagel M, Nürnberg P, O’Brien TJ, Okada Y, Ólafsson E, Oliver KL, Özkara C, Palotie A, Pangilinan F, Papacostas SS, Parrini E, Pato CN, Pato MT, Pendziwiat M, Petrovski S, Pickrell WO, Pinsky R, Pippucci T, Poduri A, Pondrelli F, Powell RHW, Privitera M, Rademacher A, Radtke R, Ragona F, Rau S, Rees MI, Regan BM, Reif PS, Rhelms S, Riva A, Rosenow F, Ryvlin P, Saarela A, Sadleir LG, Sander JW, Sander T, Scala M, Scattergood T, Schachter SC, Schankin CJ, Scheffer IE, Schmitz B, Schoch S, Schubert-Bast S, Schulze-Bonhage A, Scudieri P, Sham P, Sheidley BR, Shih JJ, Sills GJ, Sisodiya SM, Smith MC, Smith PE, Sonsma ACM, Speed D, Sperling MR, Stefansson H, Stefansson K, Steinhoff BJ, Stephani U, Stewart WC, Stipa C, Striano P, Stroink H, Strzelczyk A, Surges R, Suzuki T, Tan KM, Taneja RS, Tanteles GA, Taubøll E, Thio LL, Thomas GN, Thomas RH, Timonen O, Tinuper P, Todaro M, Topaloğlu P, Tozzi R, Tsai MH, Tumiene B, Turkdogan D, Unnsteinsdóttir U, Utkus A, Vaidiswaran P, Valton L, van Baalen A, Vetro A, Vining EPG, Visscher F, von Brauchitsch S, von Wrede R, Wagner RG, Weber YG, Weckhuysen S, Weisenberg J, Weller M, Widdess-Walsh P, Wolff M, Wolking S, Wu D, Yamakawa K, Yang W, Yapıcı Z, Yücesan E, Zagaglia S, Zahnert F, Zara F, Zhou W, Zimprich F, Zsurka G, Zulfiqar Ali Q. GWAS meta-analysis of over 29,000 people with epilepsy identifies 26 risk loci and subtype-specific genetic architecture. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1471-1482. [PMID: 37653029 PMCID: PMC10484785 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01485-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Epilepsy is a highly heritable disorder affecting over 50 million people worldwide, of which about one-third are resistant to current treatments. Here we report a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study including 29,944 cases, stratified into three broad categories and seven subtypes of epilepsy, and 52,538 controls. We identify 26 genome-wide significant loci, 19 of which are specific to genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE). We implicate 29 likely causal genes underlying these 26 loci. SNP-based heritability analyses show that common variants explain between 39.6% and 90% of genetic risk for GGE and its subtypes. Subtype analysis revealed markedly different genetic architectures between focal and generalized epilepsies. Gene-set analyses of GGE signals implicate synaptic processes in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the brain. Prioritized candidate genes overlap with monogenic epilepsy genes and with targets of current antiseizure medications. Finally, we leverage our results to identify alternate drugs with predicted efficacy if repurposed for epilepsy treatment.
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13
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Jayaweera RT, Goin DE, Twine R, Neilands TB, Wagner RG, Lippman SA, Kahn K, Pettifor A, Ahern J. Violence Related to Daily Water and Sanitation Needs in South Africa. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:170-173. [PMID: 37253439 PMCID: PMC10323990 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a critical lack of research on violence experienced by women when meeting their daily water and sanitation needs. This short report describes the cumulative lifetime incidence of exposure to violence when using the toilet or collecting water (water, sanitation, and hygiene [WASH]-related violence) and identifies associated health and behavioral risks. Data from 1,870 participants collected in 2013-2015 from a longitudinal cohort of young women in rural South Africa were included in this analysis. We found that exposure to WASH-related violence was high: 25.9% experienced violence when collecting water or when using the toilet. Those who experienced violence were more likely to report pregnancy, an older partner, unprotected sex, experience of intimate partner violence, engaging in transactional sex, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Future research should investigate the location and type of violence experienced and examine how WASH-related violence is related to health outcomes to identify gender-centered WASH interventions that reduce violence exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dana E. Goin
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Rhian Twine
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Ryan G. Wagner
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sheri A. Lippman
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Audrey Pettifor
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Jennifer Ahern
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
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14
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Mwangala PN, Wagner RG, Newton CR, Abubakar A. Strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing used by adults ageing with HIV from the Kenyan coast: a qualitative exploration. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 7:221. [PMID: 37415804 PMCID: PMC10320323 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18212.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Physical and mental health problems are common among older adults living with HIV (OALWH). Adaptive coping strategies play a vital role in improving these adults' mental health and well-being despite the deleterious effects of HIV and ageing. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, limited evidence exists on the commonly utilized coping strategies in this population. We explore the coping strategies used by Kenyan OALWH to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 with 56 participants: 34 OALWH (53% female), 11 healthcare providers (63% female) and 11 primary caregivers (73% female) in Kilifi County. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to synthesize the qualitative data. Results: Five major themes emerged from the analysis of participants' narratives, including self-care practices, religion and spirituality, relational living (social connectedness), generativity, identity, and mastery. Our study further revealed maladaptive coping strategies, including reliance on over-the-counter medications, self-isolation, waiting to see if symptoms would subside despite doing nothing, and HIV treatment interruptions during prolonged periods of prayer and fasting. Conclusions: Our findings provide an initial understanding of the coping strategies used by OALWH to confront HIV and ageing challenges in a low-literacy, low socio-economic Kenyan setting. Our results suggest that interventions designed to enhance personal capacity, social support, positive religiosity and spirituality, and intergenerational connections may be beneficial in improving the mental health and well-being of OALWH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick N. Mwangala
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, P O Box 230-80108, Kenya
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 27 St Andrews Road, Parktown 2193, South Africa
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, P.O. BOX 30270-00100, Kenya
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Charles R. Newton
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, P O Box 230-80108, Kenya
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, P.O. BOX 30270-00100, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Ln, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, P.O. BOX 195-80108, Kenya
| | - Amina Abubakar
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, P O Box 230-80108, Kenya
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, P.O. BOX 30270-00100, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Ln, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, P.O. BOX 195-80108, Kenya
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15
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Mwangala PN, Wagner RG, Newton CR, Abubakar A. Navigating Life With HIV as an Older Adult on the Kenyan Coast: Perceived Health Challenges Seen Through the Biopsychosocial Model. Int J Public Health 2023; 68:1605916. [PMID: 37398632 PMCID: PMC10308997 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: This study explores the perceptions of adults living with HIV aged ≥50 years (recognized as older adults living with HIV-OALWH), primary caregivers and healthcare providers on the health challenges of ageing with HIV at Kilifi, a low literacy setting on the coast of Kenya. Methods: We utilized the biopsychosocial model to explore views from 34 OALWH and 22 stakeholders on the physical, mental, and psychosocial health challenges of ageing with HIV in Kilifi in 2019. Data were drawn from semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. A framework approach was used to synthesize the data. Results: Symptoms of common mental disorders, comorbidities, somatic symptoms, financial difficulties, stigma, and discrimination were viewed as common. There was also an overlap of perceived risk factors across the physical, mental, and psychosocial health domains, including family conflicts and poverty. Conclusion: OALWH at the Kenyan coast are perceived to be at risk of multiple physical, mental, and psychosocial challenges. Future research should quantify the burden of these challenges and examine the resources available to these adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick N. Mwangala
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Charles R. Newton
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Amina Abubakar
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya
- Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Public Health, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
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Audet CM, Sack DE, Ndlovu GH, Morkel C, Harris J, Wagner RG, Seabi TM. Women want male partner engagement in antenatal care services: A qualitative study of pregnant women from rural South Africa. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283789. [PMID: 37011063 PMCID: PMC10069782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Evidence strongly shows that a supportive, involved male partner facilitates maternal HIV testing during pregnancy, increases maternal antiretroviral (ART) adherence and increases HIV-free infant survival. Partner engagement in antenatal care (ANC) is influential; however, the most effective strategy to engage male partners is currently unknown. Engaging pregnant women to understand whether male partner involvement is welcome in ANC, what this involvement entails and how best to invite their partner is an important first step in determining how best to engage male partners. METHODS We interviewed 36 pregnant women receiving ANC services at a district hospital in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their current relationship, the type of partner support they receive, whether they would like their male partner to be involved in their ANC, and how best to invite their male partner to their appointments. We conducted a thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews using MAXQDA software. RESULTS Financial, emotional, and physical support were noted as important aspects of support currently provided by male partners, with most pregnant women wanting their partners to engage in ANC services during pregnancy. Preferred engagement strategies included participation in couple-based HIV testing and counseling, regular ANC appointment attendance, and delivery room presence. Women who reported a positive relationship with her partner were more likely to prefer inviting their partner without health facility assistance, while those who reported challenges in their relationship preferred assistance through a letter or community health worker. Pregnant women perceived regular business hours (due to their partner being employed and unable to take off work) and having a partner involved in multiple relationships as barriers in getting their partner to attend ANC services. DISCUSSION Rural South African women, even those in unsatisfactory relationships want their male partners to attend their ANC visits and birth. To make this possible, health facilities will have to tailor male partner engagement outreach strategies to the preferences and needs of the pregnant woman.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M. Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Medical Research Council, Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Daniel E. Sack
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Godfrey H. Ndlovu
- Medical Research Council, Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Caroline Morkel
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jacob Harris
- Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- Medical Research Council, Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tshegofatso M. Seabi
- Medical Research Council, Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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17
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Bassil DT, Farrell MT, Weerman A, Guo M, Wagner RG, Brickman AM, Glymour MM, Langa KM, Manly JJ, Tipping B, Butler I, Tollman S, Berkman LF. Feasibility of an online consensus approach for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in rural South Africa. Alzheimers Dement (Amst) 2023; 15:e12420. [PMID: 37025188 PMCID: PMC10072202 DOI: 10.1002/dad2.12420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We describe the development and feasibility of using an online consensus approach for diagnosing cognitive impairment and dementia in rural South Africa. METHODS Cognitive assessments, clinical evaluations, and informant interviews from Cognition and Dementia in the Health and Aging in Africa Longitudinal Study (HAALSI Dementia) were reviewed by an expert panel using a web-based platform to assign a diagnosis of cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. RESULTS Six hundred thirty-five participants were assigned a final diagnostic category, with 298 requiring adjudication conference calls. Overall agreement between each rater's independent diagnosis and final diagnosis (via the portal or consensus conference) was 78.3%. A moderate level of agreement between raters' individual ratings and the final diagnostic outcomes was observed (average κ coefficient = 0.50). DISCUSSION Findings show initial feasibility in using an online consensus approach for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in remote, rural, and low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darina T. Bassil
- Harvard Center for Population and Development StudiesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Meagan T. Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development StudiesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Albert Weerman
- Center for Economic and Social ResearchUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Muqi Guo
- Harvard Center for Population and Development StudiesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt)School of Public HealthFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Adam M. Brickman
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging BrainVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky CenterVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeurologyVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kenneth M. Langa
- Institute for Healthcare Policy and InnovationUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Institute for Social ResearchUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management ResearchAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Jennifer J. Manly
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging BrainVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky CenterVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeurologyVagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Brent Tipping
- Division of Geriatric MedicineSchool of Clinical MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - India Butler
- Division of Geriatric MedicineSchool of Clinical MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt)School of Public HealthFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Lisa F. Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development StudiesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Social and Behavioral SciencesHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
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18
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Ferro EG, Abrahams-Gessel S, Kapaon D, Houle B, Toit JD, Wagner RG, Gómez-Olivé FX, Wade AN, Kabudula CW, Tollman S, Gaziano TA. Significant Improvement in Blood Pressure Levels Among Older Adults With Hypertension in Rural South Africa. Hypertension 2023. [PMID: 36752095 PMCID: PMC10363191 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.122.20401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing an epidemiologic transition from infectious diseases to cardiovascular diseases. From 2014 to 2019, sociodemographic surveillance was performed in a large cohort in rural South Africa. METHODS Disease prevalence and incidence were calculated using inverse probability weights. Poisson regression was used to identify disease predictors. The percentage of individuals with controlled (<140/90 mm Hg) versus uncontrolled hypertension was compared between 2014 and 2019. RESULTS Compared with 2014 (n=5059), study participants in 2019 (n=4176) had similar rates of obesity (mean body mass index, 27.5±10.0 versus 27.0±6.5) but higher smoking (9.1% versus 11.5%) and diabetes (11.1% versus 13.9%). There was no significant increase in hypertension prevalence (58.4% versus 59.8%; age adjusted, 64.3% versus 63.3%), and there was a significant reduction in mean systolic blood pressure (138.0 versus 128.5 mm Hg; P<0.001). Among hypertensive individuals who reported medication use in 2014 and 2019 (n=796), the proportion with controlled hypertension on medication increased from 44.5% to 62.3%. Hypertension incidence was 6.2 per 100 person-years, and age was the only independent predictor. Among normotensive individuals in 2014 (n=2257), 15.2% developed hypertension by 2019, with the majority already controlled on medications by 2019. CONCLUSIONS The hypertension prevalence and incidence are plateauing in this aging cohort. There was a statistically and clinically significant decline in mean blood pressure and a substantial increase in individuals with controlled hypertension on medication. The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors did not decrease over time, suggesting that the blood pressure decrease is likely due to increased medication access and adherence, promoted by local health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico G Ferro
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA (E.G.F.)
| | - Shafika Abrahams-Gessel
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - David Kapaon
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Brian Houle
- School of Demography, The Australian National University, Canberra (B.H.).,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Jacques Du Toit
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - F Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.).,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Alisha N Wade
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.).,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Chodziwadziwa W Kabudula
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.).,Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom (C.W.K.)
| | - Stephen Tollman
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.).,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.)
| | - Thomas A Gaziano
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA (S.A.-G., D.K., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., S.T., T.A.G.).,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSouth Africa (B.H., J.D.T., R.G.W., F.X.G.-O., A.N.W., C.W.K., S.T., T.A.G.).,Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (T.A.G.)
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19
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Audet CM, Seabi T, Ngobeni S, Berhanu RH, Wagner RG. Pulmonary tuberculosis vs. Tindzhaka and Mafularha: A mixed methods inquiry of traditional healers' perceptions of tuberculosis in rural South Africa. PLOS Glob Public Health 2023; 3:e0001611. [PMID: 37083848 PMCID: PMC10121049 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Although awareness of tuberculosis (TB) is high in South Africa, delays in TB testing or treatment persist. Even those with symptoms of TB often delay testing, with one study in Mpumalanga revealing a median allopathic care-seeking delay of four weeks. We sought to understand how traditional healers perceived TB symptoms among their patients, if they treated the disease, and what (if any) illnesses they defined as being traditional may have overlapping presentation with TB in South Africa. Nineteen traditional healers completed an in-depth interview (IDIs); 133 completed a quantitative survey about their treatment practices. IDIs focused on lung diseases treated, disease causation, treatment, and prognosis. Survey questions investigated diagnosis of lung ailments, including those treated by the allopathic health system and those by traditional healers. Traditional healers reported that they could differentiate between TB and traditional illnesses, like Tindzhaka and Mafularha, that presented with similar symptoms. Few (7.5%) believed they could treat TB, but the majority (72.9%) believed they could successfully treat Tindzhaka and Mafularha. Tindzhaka and Mafularha are interconnected illnesses that are reportedly caused by breaking social rules around death, sex and using the belongings of someone who recently passed away. Both, if not treated, are considered fatal. While we have no definitive data, traditional healers may be contributing to delays in the diagnosis and treatment for people with active TB by incorrectly diagnosing TB as Tindzhaka or Mafularha. Overcoming issues of trust and compensation, while respecting different forms of knowledge, are some of the challenges we face in successfully engaging with healers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States of America
| | - Tshegofatso Seabi
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sizzy Ngobeni
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rebecca H Berhanu
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States of America
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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20
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Wagner F, Wagner RG, Kolanisi U, Makuapane LP, Masango M, Gómez-Olivé FX. The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2067. [DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14517-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background:
South African universities face a challenge of low throughput rates, with most students failing to complete their studies within the minimum regulatory time. Literature has begun to investigate the contribution of well-being, including mental health, with depression among students being one of the most common mental disorders explored. However, locally relevant research exploring associations between depression and academic performance has been limited. This research hypothesizes that the presence of depression symptoms, when controlling for key socio-demographic factors, has an adverse impact on student academic outcomes and contributes to the delay in the academic progression of students.
Methods:
The study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected in 2019 from first-time, first-year undergraduate students using a self-administered online questionnaire. In total, 1,642 students completed the survey. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depression symptoms. Data on students’ academic performance were obtained from institutional records. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine associations between depression symptoms and academic performance.
Results:
Most participants (76%) successfully progressed (meeting the requirements to proceed to the second year of university study). Of the participants, 10% displayed symptoms of severe depression. The likelihood of progression delay (not meeting the academic requirements to proceed to the second year of university study) increased with the severity of depression symptoms. Moderate depression symptoms nearly doubled the adjusted odds of progression delay (aOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.30-3.00, p = 0.001). The likelihood of progression delay was nearly tripled by moderate severe depression symptoms (aOR = 2.70, 95% CI:1.70–4.36, p < 0.001) and severe depression symptoms (aOR = 2.59, 95% CI:1.54–4.36, p < 0.001). The model controlled for field of study, financial aid support as well as sex and race.
Conclusion:
Higher levels of depression symptoms among first-year university students are associated with a greater likelihood of progression delay and may contribute to the low throughput rates currently seen in South African universities. It is important for students, universities and government departments to recognize student mental wellness needs and how these can be met.
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21
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Mwangala PN, Nasambu C, Wagner RG, Newton CR, Abubakar A. Prevalence and factors associated with mild depressive and anxiety symptoms in older adults living with HIV from the Kenyan coast. J Int AIDS Soc 2022; 25 Suppl 4:e25977. [PMID: 36176027 PMCID: PMC9522642 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Empirical research on the burden and determinants of common mental disorders (CMDs), especially depression and anxiety, among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) in sub-Saharan Africa is inadequate. To bridge the gap in Kenya we: (1) determined the prevalence of CMDs among OALWH on routine HIV care compared to HIV-negative peers; (2) investigated HIV status as an independent predictor of CMDs in older adults; and (3) investigated CMD determinants. METHODS In a cross-sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021, the prevalence of CMDs and associated determinants were investigated at the Kenyan coast among 440 adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). The Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale were administered alongside measures capturing biopsychosocial information. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of CMDs. RESULTS No significant differences were found in the prevalence of mild depressive symptoms, 23.8% versus 18.2% (p = 0.16) and mild anxiety symptoms, 11.7% versus 7.2% (p = 0.12) among OALWH compared to HIV-negative peers, respectively. HIV status was not independently predictive of CMDs. Among OALWH, higher perceived HIV-related stigma, ageism, increasing household HIV burden, loneliness, increasing functional disability, sleeping difficulties, chronic fatigue and advanced age (>70 years) were associated with elevated CMDs. Among HIV-negative older adults, loneliness, increased medication burden and sleeping difficulties were associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Easier access to HIV care was the only factor associated with lower CMDs among OALWH. CONCLUSIONS On the Kenyan coast, the burden of moderate and severe CMDs among older adults is low; however, both OALWH and their HIV-negative peers have a similar relatively high burden of mild depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our results also suggest that determinants of CMDs among OALWH in this setting are predominantly psychosocial factors. These results highlight the need for psychosocial interventions (at the family, community and clinical levels) to mitigate the risks of mild CMDs as they are known to be potentially debilitating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick N. Mwangala
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research CoastKenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)KilifiKenya,School of Public HealthUniversity of the WitwatersrandParktownSouth Africa,Institute for Human DevelopmentAga Khan UniversityNairobiKenya
| | - Carophine Nasambu
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research CoastKenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)KilifiKenya
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt)Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Charles R. Newton
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research CoastKenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)KilifiKenya,Institute for Human DevelopmentAga Khan UniversityNairobiKenya,Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordWarneford HospitalOxfordUK,Department of Public HealthPwani UniversityKilifiKenya
| | - Amina Abubakar
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research CoastKenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)KilifiKenya,Institute for Human DevelopmentAga Khan UniversityNairobiKenya,Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordWarneford HospitalOxfordUK,Department of Public HealthPwani UniversityKilifiKenya
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22
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Mwangala PN, Wagner RG, Newton CR, Abubakar A. Strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing used by adults ageing with HIV: a qualitative exploration. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18212.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Physical and mental health problems are common among older adults living with HIV (OALWH). Adaptive coping strategies play a vital role in improving these adults' mental health and well-being despite the deleterious effects of HIV and ageing. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, limited evidence exists on the commonly utilized coping strategies in this population. We explore the coping strategies used by Kenyan OALWH to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 with 56 participants: 34 OALWH (53% female), 11 healthcare providers (63% female) and 11 primary caregivers (73% female) in Kilifi County. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to synthesize the qualitative data. Results: Five major themes emerged from the analysis of participants’ narratives, including self-care practices, religion and spirituality, relational living (social connectedness), generativity, identity, and mastery. Our study further revealed maladaptive coping strategies, including reliance on over-the-counter medications, self-isolation, waiting to see if symptoms would subside despite doing nothing, and HIV treatment interruptions during prolonged periods of prayer and fasting. Conclusions: Our findings provide an initial understanding of the coping strategies used by OALWH to confront HIV and ageing challenges in a low-literacy, low socio-economic Kenyan setting. Our results suggest that interventions designed to enhance personal capacity, social support, positive religiosity and spirituality, and intergenerational connections may be beneficial in improving the mental health and well-being of OALWH.
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Bassil DT, Farrell MT, Wagner RG, Brickman AM, Glymour MM, Langa KM, Manly JJ, Salinas J, Tipping B, Tollman S, Berkman LF. Cohort Profile Update: Cognition and dementia in the Health and Aging in Africa Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH community in South Africa (HAALSI dementia). Int J Epidemiol 2022; 51:e217-e226. [PMID: 34871405 PMCID: PMC9365629 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Darina T Bassil
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adam M Brickman
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - M Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth M Langa
- Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer J Manly
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joel Salinas
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brent Tipping
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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24
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Jayaweera RT, Goin D, Twine R, Neilands TB, Wagner RG, Lippman SA, Kahn K, Pettifor A, Ahern J. Associations between WASH-related violence and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls and young women in South Africa (HPTN 068): a cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e061032. [PMID: 35790334 PMCID: PMC9258484 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is a lack of research on experiences of WASH-related violence. This study aims to quantify the association between experience or worry of violence when using the toilet or collecting water and depressive symptoms among a cohort of young women in South Africa. METHODS Data are from visit 3 of the HPTN 068 cohort of adolescent girls in rural Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Participants (n=1798) included in this analysis were aged 13-21 at baseline. Lifetime experience of violence or fear of violence when using the toilet and collecting water was collected by self-report; depressive symptoms in the past week were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We used G-computation to calculate the prevalence difference (PD) and prevalence ratio of depression (CES-D score >15) associated with each domain of violence, controlling for baseline covariates. FINDINGS A total of 15.1% of respondents reported experiencing violence when using the toilet; 17.1% reported experiencing violence when collecting water and 26.7% reported depression. In adjusted models, those who reported experiencing violence when using the toilet had an 18.1% higher prevalence of depression (95% CI: 11.6% to 24.4%) than those who did not experience violence when using the toilet. Adjusted prevalence of depression was also higher among those who reported violence when collecting water (PD 11.9%, 95% CI: 6.7% to 17.2%), and who worried about violence when using the toilet (PD 12.8%, 95% CI: 7.9% to 19.8%), as compared with those who did not report these experiences. Worrying about violence when collecting water was not associated with depression after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSION Experience of WASH-related violence is common among young women in rural South Africa, and experience or worry of experiencing violence is associated with higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT01233531; Post-results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruvani T Jayaweera
- Ibis Reproductive Health, Oakland, California, USA
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Dana Goin
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Rhian Twine
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Torsten B Neilands
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sheri A Lippman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Audrey Pettifor
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer Ahern
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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Langat NK, Kariuki SM, Kamuyu G, Kakooza-Mwesige A, Owusu-Agyei S, Ae-Ngibise K, Wang'ombe A, Ngugi AK, Masaja H, Wagner RG, Newton CR. Exposure to parasitic infections determines features and phenotypes of active convulsive epilepsy in Africa. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17049.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Epilepsy affects 70 million people worldwide, 80% of whom are in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). Parasitic infections contribute considerably to the burden of epilepsy in LMICs, but the nature and presentation of epilepsy following these infections is not fully understood. We examined if epilepsy outcomes are associated with the exposure to parasitic infections. Methods: This was a case-comparison study nested in a cross-sectional survey of people with active convulsive epilepsy, with cases as those exposed to parasitic infections, and comparison as those unexposed. Associations of exposure to parasites with clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy were done using a modified mixed effects Poisson regression model across five sites in Africa. Multiplicative and additive scale (RERI) interactions were explored to determine the effect of co-infections on epilepsy features. Population attributable fractions (PAF) were calculated to determine the proportion of severe clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy attributable to parasitic infections. Results: A total of 997 participants with active convulsive epilepsy from the five African sites were analyzed, 51% of whom were males. Exposure to parasitic infections was associated with more frequent seizures in adult epilepsy (relative risk (RR)=2.58, 95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.71-3.89). In children, exposure to any parasite was associated with convulsive status epilepticus (RR=4.68, (95%CI: 3.79-5.78), intellectual disabilities (RR=2.13, 95%CI: 1.35-3.34) and neurological deficits (RR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.42-2.61). Toxoplasma gondii and Onchocerca volvulus interacted synergistically to increase the risk of status epilepticus (RERI=0.91, 95%CI=0.48-1.35) in the data pooled across the sites. Exposure to parasitic infections contributed to 30% of severe features of epilepsy as shown by PAF. Conclusions: Parasitic infections may determine features and phenotypes of epilepsy through synergistic or antagonistic interactions, which can be different in children and adults. Interventions to control or manage infections may reduce complications and improve prognosis in people with epilepsy.
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26
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Begley C, Wagner RG, Abraham A, Beghi E, Newton C, Kwon CS, Labiner D, Winkler A. The global cost of epilepsy: A systematic review and extrapolation. Epilepsia 2022; 63:892-903. [PMID: 35195894 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Global action for epilepsy requires information on the cost of epilepsy, which is currently unknown for most countries and regions of the world. To address this knowledge gap, the International League Against Epilepsy Commission on Epidemiology formed the Global Cost of Epilepsy Task Force. METHODS We completed a systematic search of the epilepsy cost-of-illness literature and identified studies that provided a comprehensive set of direct health care and/or indirect costs, followed standard methods of case identification and cost estimation, and used data on a representative population or subpopulation of people with epilepsy. Country-specific costs per person with epilepsy were extracted and adjusted to generate an average cost per person in 2019 US dollars. For countries with no cost data, estimates were imputed based on average costs per person of similar income countries with data. Per person costs for each country were then applied to data on the prevalence of epilepsy from the Global Burden of Disease collaboration adjusted for the treatment gap. RESULTS One hundred one cost-of-illness studies were included in the direct health care cost database, 74 from North America or Western Europe. Thirteen studies were used in the indirect cost database, eight from North America or Western Europe. The average annual cost per person with epilepsy in 2019 ranged from $204 in low-income countries to $11 432 in high-income countries based on this highly skewed database. The total cost of epilepsy, applying per person costs to the estimated 52.51 million people in the world with epilepsy and adjusting for the treatment gap, was $119.27 billion. SIGNIFICANCE Based on a summary and extrapolations of this limited database, the global cost of epilepsy is substantial and highly concentrated in countries with well-developed health care systems, higher wages and income, limited treatment gaps, and a relatively small percentage of the epilepsy population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Begley
- School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa
| | - Annette Abraham
- Department of Neurology, Center for Global Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, Center for Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ettore Beghi
- Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Churl-Su Kwon
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - David Labiner
- Department of Neurology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Andrea Winkler
- Department of Neurology, Center for Global Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, Center for Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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27
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Tamburini FB, Maghini D, Oduaran OH, Brewster R, Hulley MR, Sahibdeen V, Norris SA, Tollman S, Kahn K, Wagner RG, Wade AN, Wafawanaka F, Gómez-Olivé FX, Twine R, Lombard Z, Hazelhurst S, Bhatt AS. Short- and long-read metagenomics of urban and rural South African gut microbiomes reveal a transitional composition and undescribed taxa. Nat Commun 2022; 13:926. [PMID: 35194028 PMCID: PMC8863827 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27917-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human gut microbiome research focuses on populations living in high-income countries and to a lesser extent, non-urban agriculturalist and hunter-gatherer societies. The scarcity of research between these extremes limits our understanding of how the gut microbiota relates to health and disease in the majority of the world's population. Here, we evaluate gut microbiome composition in transitioning South African populations using short- and long-read sequencing. We analyze stool from adult females living in rural Bushbuckridge (n = 118) or urban Soweto (n = 51) and find that these microbiomes are taxonomically intermediate between those of individuals living in high-income countries and traditional communities. We demonstrate that reference collections are incomplete for characterizing microbiomes of individuals living outside high-income countries, yielding artificially low beta diversity measurements, and generate complete genomes of undescribed taxa, including Treponema, Lentisphaerae, and Succinatimonas. Our results suggest that the gut microbiome of South Africans does not conform to a simple "western-nonwestern" axis and contains undescribed microbial diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dylan Maghini
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ovokeraye H Oduaran
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan Brewster
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michaella R Hulley
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service & University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Venesa Sahibdeen
- Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service & University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shane A Norris
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,INDEPTH Network, East Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,INDEPTH Network, East Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,INDEPTH Network, East Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Alisha N Wade
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Floidy Wafawanaka
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - F Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,INDEPTH Network, East Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Rhian Twine
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zané Lombard
- Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service & University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Scott Hazelhurst
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. .,School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Ami S Bhatt
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Medicine (Hematology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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28
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Kwon CS, Wagner RG, Carpio A, Jetté N, Newton CR, Thurman DJ. The worldwide epilepsy treatment gap: A systematic review and recommendations for revised definitions - A report from the ILAE Epidemiology Commission. Epilepsia 2022; 63:551-564. [PMID: 35001365 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In order to more appropriately apply and understand the "epilepsy treatment gap" (ETG) concept in current health systems, revised conceptual and operational definitions of ETG are timely and necessary. This article therefore systematically reviews worldwide studies of the ETG, distinguishing high-, middle-, and low-income regions, and provides recommendations for an updated International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) definition of ETG. METHODS A systematic review of the ETG was performed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. The search was conducted from January 1990 to July 2019, in the online databases of Ovid MEDLINE and Embase. Identified abstracts were reviewed in duplicate and data independently extracted using a standard proforma. Data describing treatment gap information including both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of access to epilepsy treatment were recorded. Descriptive statistics are presented. RESULTS The treatment gap reported in the 45 distinctive populations represented 33 countries. Treatment gap definitions varied widely. The reported ETGs ranged broadly from 5.6% in Norway to 100% in parts of Tibet, Togo, and Uganda. The wide range of reported ETGs was multifactorial in origin including true differences in the availability and utilization of health care among study populations, variations in operational definitions of the epilepsy treatment gap, and methodological differences in sampling and identifying representative epilepsy cases in populations. Significance and recommendations For the ETG to be a useful metric to compare levels of unmet epilepsy care across different countries and regions, a standardized definition must be adapted, recognizing some of the limitations of the current definitions. Our proposed definition takes into account the lack of effective health care insurance, the diagnostic gap, the therapeutic gap, quality-of-care, and other unmet health care needs."
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Affiliation(s)
- Churl-Su Kwon
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Neurology, Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Arturo Carpio
- Research Institute, University of Cuenca School of Medicine, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Nathalie Jetté
- Department of Neurology, Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Sack DE, Wagner RG, Ohene-Kwofie D, Kabudula CW, Price J, Ginsburg C, Audet CM. Pregnancy-related healthcare utilisation in Agincourt, South Africa, 1993-2018: a longitudinal surveillance study of rural mothers. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:e006915. [PMID: 34620615 PMCID: PMC8499259 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pregnancy-related health services, an important mediator of global health priorities, require robust health infrastructure. We described pregnancy-related healthcare utilisation among rural South African women from 1993 to 2018, a period of social, political and economic transition. METHODS We included participants enrolled in the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, a population-based longitudinal cohort, who reported pregnancy between 1993 and 2018. We assessed age, antenatal visits, years of education, pregnancy intention, nationality, residency status, previous pregnancies, prepregnancy and postpregnancy contraceptive use, and student status over the study period and modelled predictors of antenatal care utilisation (ordinal), skilled birth attendant presence (logistic) and delivery at a health facility (logistic). RESULTS Between 1993 and 2018, 51 355 pregnancies occurred. Median antenatal visits, skilled birth attendant presence and healthcare facility deliveries increased over time. Delivery in 2018 vs 2004 was associated with an increased likelihood of ≥1 additional antenatal visits (adjusted OR (aOR) 10.81, 95% CI 9.99 to 11.71), skilled birth attendant presence (aOR 4.58, 95% CI 3.70 to 5.67) and delivery at a health facility (aOR 3.78, 95% CI 3.15 to 4.54). Women of Mozambican origin were less likely to deliver with a skilled birth attendant (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.45) or at a health facility (aOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.46) versus South Africans. Temporary migrants reported fewer antenatal visits (aOR 0.35, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.38) but were more likely to deliver with a skilled birth attendant (aOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.66 to 2.2) or at a health facility (aOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.58) versus permanent residents. CONCLUSION Pregnancy-related healthcare utilisation and skilled birth attendant presence at delivery have increased steadily since 1993 in rural northeastern South Africa, aligning with health policy changes enacted during this time. However, mothers of Mozambican descent are still less likely to use free care, which requires further study and policy interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Sack
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Daniel Ohene-Kwofie
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Chodziwadziwa W Kabudula
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jessica Price
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carren Ginsburg
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carolyn M Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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30
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Kobayashi LC, Morris EP, Harling G, Farrell MT, Kabeto MU, Wagner RG, Berkman LF. Subjective social position and cognitive function in a longitudinal cohort of older, rural South African adults, 2014-2019. J Epidemiol Community Health 2021; 76:385-390. [PMID: 34556542 PMCID: PMC8919590 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2021-217059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background The relationship between subjective social position (SSP) and cognitive ageing unclear, especially in low-income settings. We aimed to investigate the relationship between SSP and cognitive function over time among older adults in rural South Africa. Methods Data were from 3771 adults aged ≥40 in the population-representative ‘Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa’ from 2014/2015 (baseline) to 2018/2019 (follow-up). SSP was assessed at baseline with the 10-rung MacArthur Network social position ladder. Outcomes were composite orientation and episodic memory scores at baseline and follow-up (range: 0–24). Mortality- and attrition-weighted linear regression estimated the associations between baseline SSP with cognitive scores at each of the baseline and follow-up. Models were adjusted for age, age2, sex, country of birth, father’s occupation, education, employment, household assets, literacy, marital status and health-related covariates. Results SSP responses ranged from 0 (bottom ladder rung/lowest social position) to 10 (top ladder rung/highest social position), with a mean of 6.6 (SD: 2.3). SSP was positively associated with baseline cognitive score (adjusted β=0.198 points per ladder rung increase; 95% CI 0.145 to 0.253) and follow-up cognitive score (adjusted β=0.078 points per ladder rung increase; 95% CI 0.021 to 0.136). Conclusion Independent of objective socioeconomic position measures, SSP is associated with orientation and episodic memory scores over two time points approximately 3 years apart among older rural South Africans. Future research is needed to establish the causality of the observed relationships, whether they persist over longer follow-up periods and their consistency in other populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Emily P Morris
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Guy Harling
- Institute for Global Health Research, University College London, London, UK.,Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa.,Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mohammed U Kabeto
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa
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Langat NK, Kariuki SM, Kamuyu G, Kakooza-Mwesige A, Owusu-Agyei S, Ae-Ngibise K, Wang'ombe A, Ngugi AK, Masaja H, Wagner RG, Newton CR. Exposure to parasitic infections determines features and phenotypes of active convulsive epilepsy in Africa. Wellcome Open Res 2021. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17049.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Epilepsy affects 70 million people worldwide, 80% of whom are in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) contribute considerably to the burden of epilepsy in LMICs, but the nature and presentation of epilepsy following these infections is not fully understood. We examined if epilepsy foutcomes are associated with the exposure to parasitic infections. Methods: This was a case-comparison study nested in a cross-sectional survey of people with active convulsive epilepsy, with cases as those exposed to parasitic infections, and comparison as those unexposed. Associations of exposure to parasites with clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy were done using a modified mixed effects Poisson regression model across five sites in Africa. Multiplicative and additive scale (RERI) interactions were explored to determine the effect of co-infections on epilepsy features. Population attributable fractions (PAF) were calculated to determine the proportion of severe clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy attributable to CNS infections. Results: A total of 997 participants with active convulsive epilepsy from the five African sites were analyzed, 51% of whom were males. Exposure to parasitic infections was associated with more frequent seizures in adult epilepsy (relative risk (RR)=2.58, 95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.71-3.89). In children, exposure to any parasite was associated with convulsive status epilepticus (RR=4.68, (95%CI: 3.79-5.78), intellectual disabilities (RR=2.13, 95%CI: 1.35-3.34) and neurological deficits (RR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.42-2.61). Toxoplasma gondii and Onchocerca volvulus interacted synergistically to increase the risk of status epilepticus (RERI=0.91, 95%CI=0.48-1.35) in the data pooled across the sites. Exposure to parasitic infections contributed to 30% of severe features of epilepsy as shown by PAF. Conclusions: Parasitic infections may determine features and phenotypes of epilepsy through synergistic or antagonistic interactions, which can be different in children and adults. Interventions to control or manage infections may reduce complications and improve prognosis in epilepsy.
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32
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Albert LM, Edwards J, Pence B, Speizer IS, Hillis S, Kahn K, Gómez-Olivé FX, Wagner RG, Twine R, Pettifor A. Associations of Father and Adult Male Presence with First Pregnancy and HIV Infection: Longitudinal Evidence from Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Rural South Africa (HPTN 068). AIDS Behav 2021; 25:2177-2194. [PMID: 33417105 PMCID: PMC8580262 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-020-03147-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
This study, a secondary analysis of the HPTN 068 randomized control trial, aimed to quantify the association of father and male presence with HIV incidence and first pregnancy among 2533 school-going adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in rural South Africa participating in the trial between March 2011 and April 2017. Participants' ages ranged from 13-20 years at study enrollment and 17-25 at the post-intervention visit. HIV and pregnancy incidence rates were calculated for each level of the exposure variables using Poisson regression, adjusted for age using restricted quadratic spline variables, and, in the case of pregnancy, also adjusted for whether the household received a social grant. Our study found that AGYW whose fathers were deceased and adult males were absent from the household were most at risk for incidence of first pregnancy and HIV (pregnancy: aIRR = 1.30, Wald 95% CI 1.05, 1.61, Wald chi-square p = 0.016; HIV: aIRR = 1.27, Wald 95% CI 0.84, 1.91, Wald chi-square p = 0.263) as compared to AGYW whose biological fathers resided with them. For AGYW whose fathers were deceased, having other adult males present as household members seemed to attenuate the incidence (pregnancy: aIRR = 0.92, Wald 95% CI 0.74, 1.15, Wald chi-square p = 0.462; HIV: aIRR = 0.90, Wald 95% CI 0.58, 1.39, Wald chi-square p = 0.623) such that it was similar, and therefore not statistically significantly different, to AGYW whose fathers were present in the household.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Albert
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA.
- Palladium, Washington, D.C, USA.
| | - Jess Edwards
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA
| | - Brian Pence
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA
| | - Ilene S Speizer
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Susan Hillis
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - F Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rhian Twine
- Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Audrey Pettifor
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Wagner RG, Crowther NJ, Micklesfield LK, Boua PR, Nonterah EA, Mashinya F, Mohamed SF, Asiki G, Tollman S, Ramsay M, Davies JI. Estimating the burden of cardiovascular risk in community dwellers over 40 years old in South Africa, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Ghana. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2020-003499. [PMID: 33479017 PMCID: PMC7825268 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of these risk factors on future CVD outcomes and burden is poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of modifiable risk factors, estimated future CVD risk and compared results between three commonly used 10-year CVD risk factor algorithms and their variants in four African countries. Methods In the Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic studies (the AWI-Gen Study), 10 349 randomly sampled individuals aged 40–60 years from six sites participated in a survey, with blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid levels measured. Using these data, 10-year CVD risk estimates using Framingham, Globorisk and WHO-CVD and their office-based variants were generated. Differences in future CVD risk and results by algorithm are described using kappa and coefficients to examine agreement and correlations, respectively. Results The 10-year CVD risk across all participants in all sites varied from 2.6% (95% CI: 1.6% to 4.1%) using the WHO-CVD lab algorithm to 6.5% (95% CI: 3.7% to 11.4%) using the Framingham office algorithm, with substantial differences in risk between sites. The highest risk was in South African settings (in urban Soweto: 8.9% (IQR: 5.3–15.3)). Agreement between algorithms was low to moderate (kappa from 0.03 to 0.55) and correlations ranged between 0.28 and 0.70. Depending on the algorithm used, those at high risk (defined as risk of 10-year CVD event >20%) who were under treatment for a modifiable risk factor ranged from 19.2% to 33.9%, with substantial variation by both sex and site. Conclusion The African sites in this study are at different stages of an ongoing epidemiological transition as evidenced by both risk factor levels and estimated 10-year CVD risk. There is low correlation and disparate levels of population risk, predicted by different risk algorithms, within sites. Validating existing risk algorithms or designing context-specific 10-year CVD risk algorithms is essential for accurately defining population risk and targeting national policies and individual CVD treatment on the African continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Nigel J Crowther
- Department of Chemical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Lisa K Micklesfield
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Palwende Romauld Boua
- Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Ouagadougou, Centre, Burkina Faso
| | - Engelbert A Nonterah
- Navrongo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
| | - Felistas Mashinya
- Department of Pathology and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, Limpopo, South Africa
| | - Shukri F Mohamed
- Health and Systems for Health, African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Gershim Asiki
- Health and Systems for Health, African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.,Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of People and Their Health, INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
| | - Michèle Ramsay
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Justine I Davies
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.,Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Wade AN, Crowther NJ, Abrahams-Gessel S, Berkman L, George JA, Gómez-Olivé FX, Manne-Goehler J, Salomon JA, Wagner RG, Gaziano TA, Tollman SM, Cappola AR. Concordance between fasting plasma glucose and HbA 1c in the diagnosis of diabetes in black South African adults: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e046060. [PMID: 34140342 PMCID: PMC8212405 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We investigated concordance between haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-defined diabetes and fasting plasma glucose (FPG)-defined diabetes in a black South African population with a high prevalence of obesity. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Rural South African population-based cohort. PARTICIPANTS 765 black individuals aged 40-70 years and with no history of diabetes. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was concordance between HbA1c-defined diabetes and FPG-defined diabetes. Secondary outcome measures were differences in anthropometric characteristics, fat distribution and insulin resistance (measured using Homoeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)) between those with concordant and discordant HbA1c/FPG classifications and predictors of HbA1c variance. RESULTS The prevalence of HbA1c-defined diabetes was four times the prevalence of FPG-defined diabetes (17.5% vs 4.2%). Classification was discordant in 15.7% of participants, with 111 individuals (14.5%) having HbA1c-only diabetes (kappa 0.23; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.31). Median body mass index, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, subcutaneous adipose tissue and HOMA-IR in participants with HbA1c-only diabetes were similar to those in participants who were normoglycaemic by both biomarkers and significantly lower than in participants with diabetes by both biomarkers (p<0.05). HOMA-IR and fat distribution explained additional HbA1c variance beyond glucose and age only in women. CONCLUSIONS Concordance was poor between HbA1c and FPG in diagnosis of diabetes in black South Africans, and participants with HbA1c-only diabetes phenotypically resembled normoglycaemic participants. Further work is necessary to determine which of these parameters better predicts diabetes-related morbidities in this population and whether a population-specific HbA1c threshold is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisha N Wade
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nigel J Crowther
- Department of Chemical Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Chemical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shafika Abrahams-Gessel
- Centre for Health Decision Science, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lisa Berkman
- Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jaya A George
- Department of Chemical Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Chemical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - F Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jennifer Manne-Goehler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joshua A Salomon
- Centre for Health Policy, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thomas A Gaziano
- Centre for Health Decision Science, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephen M Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
- Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Division of Epidemiology and Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anne R Cappola
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Cowan E, D'Ambruoso L, van der Merwe M, Witter S, Byass P, Ameh S, Wagner RG, Twine R. Understanding non-communicable diseases: combining health surveillance with local knowledge to improve rural primary health care in South Africa. Glob Health Action 2021; 14:1852781. [PMID: 33357074 PMCID: PMC7782313 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1852781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: NCDs are non-infectious, long-term conditions that account for 40 million deaths per annum. 87% of premature NCD mortality occurs in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: The aims were:develop methods to provide integrated biosocial accounts of NCD mortality; and explore the practical utility of extended mortality data for the primary health care system. Methods: We drew on data from research programmes in the study area. Data were analysed in three steps: [a]analysis of levels, causes and circumstances of NCD mortality [n = 4,166] from routine census updates including Verbal Autopsy and of qualitative data on lived experiences of NCDs in rural villages from participatory research; [b] identifying areas of convergence and divergence between the analyses; and [c]exploration of the practical relevance of the data drawing on engagements with health systems stakeholders. Results: NCDs constituted a significant proportion of mortality in this setting [36%]. VA data revealed multiple barriers to access in end-of-life care. Many deaths were attributed to problems with resources and health systems [21%;19% respectively]. The qualitative research provided rich complementary detail on the processes through which risk originates, accumulates and is expressed in access to end-of-life care, related to chronic poverty and perceptions of poor quality care in clinics. The exploration of practical relevance revealed chronic under-funding for NCD services, and an acute need for robust, timely data on the NCD burden. Conclusions: VA data allowed a significant burden of NCD mortality to be quantified and revealed barriers to access at and around the time of death. Qualitative research contextualised these barriers, providing explanations of how and why they exist and persist. Health systems analysis revealed shortages of resources allocated to NCDs and a need for robust research to provide locally relevant evidence to organise and deliver care. Pragmatic interdisciplinary and mixed method analysis provides relevant renditions of complex problems to inform more effective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eilidh Cowan
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lucia D'Ambruoso
- Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, UK.,Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit [Agincourt], School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa.,National Health Service , Grampian, UK
| | - Maria van der Merwe
- Independent Public Health and Nutrition Consultant , Nelspruit, South Africa
| | - Sophie Witter
- Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh , Musselburgh, UK
| | - Peter Byass
- Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, UK.,Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit [Agincourt], School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Soter Ameh
- Department of Community Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar , Calabar, Nigeria.,Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit [Agincourt], School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa.,Studies of Epidemiology of Epilepsy in Demographic Surveillance Systems (SEEDS) - INDEPTH Network , Accra, Ghana
| | - Rhian Twine
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit [Agincourt], School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
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Farrell MT, Jia Y, Berkman LF, Wagner RG. Do You See What Eye See? Measurement, Correlates, and Functional Associations of Objective and Self-Reported Vision Impairment in Aging South Africans. J Aging Health 2021; 33:803-816. [PMID: 34029165 DOI: 10.1177/08982643211012839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Our study investigates measurement, correlates, and functional associations of vision impairment (VI) in an aging population in rural South Africa. Methods: 1582 participants aged 40-69 reported on near (NVI) and distance vision impairment (DVI) and completed objective vision tests. Logistic and linear regression were used to evaluate sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial correlates of VI and assess relationships between VI and cognitive and physical function. Results: VI prevalence was considerably higher according to objective testing (56%) versus self-reports (18%). Older adults were especially likely to underreport impairment. Objective VI was associated with age, education, cardiometabolic disease, and female sex. Conversely, self-reported VI was associated with psychosocial factors. Objective NVI and both types of DVI were associated with worse visual cognition and slower gait speed, respectively. Discussion: Self-reported and objective VI measures should not be used interchangeably in this context. Our findings highlight extensive burden of untreated VI in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan T Farrell
- Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yusheng Jia
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Rowe K, Duta M, Demeyere N, Wagner RG, Pettifor A, Kahn K, Tollman S, Scerif G, Stein A. Validation of Oxford Cognitive Screen: Executive Function (OCS-EF), a tablet-based executive function assessment tool amongst adolescent females in rural South Africa. Int J Psychol 2021; 56:895-907. [PMID: 33951197 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Short, reliable, easily administered executive function (EF) assessment tools are needed to measure EF in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa given the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder. We administered Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) to 932 rural South African females (mean age 19.7 years). OCS-EF includes seven tasks: two hot inhibition tasks (a modified Iowa Gambling Task, emotional go/no-go) and five cool EF tasks, two switching tasks (visuospatial rule-finding, geometric trails) and three working memory tasks (digit recall, selection and figure drawing). We performed confirmatory factor analysis testing whether a three-factor, two-factor hot-cool, two-factor working memory and inhibition/switching, or one-factor EF model fitted the data better. The three-factor (switching, inhibition and working memory) model had the best local and global fit (χ2 (11) 24.21, p = 0.012; RMSEA 0.036; CFI 0.920; CD 0.617). We demonstrated the feasibility of OCS-EF administration by trained laypeople, the tripartite structure of EF amongst adolescent females and the factorial validity of OCS-EF in this population and context. OCS-EF tablet-based cognitive assessment tool can be administered by trained laypeople and is a valid tool for assessing cognition at scale amongst adolescents in rural South Africa and similar environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Rowe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mihaela Duta
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nele Demeyere
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå, University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Audrey Pettifor
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Epidemiology, Carolina Population Centre, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå, University, Umeå, Sweden.,INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå, University, Umeå, Sweden.,INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alan Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Rowe K, Duta M, Demeyere N, Wagner RG, Pettifor A, Kahn K, Tollman S, Scerif G, Stein A. The relationship between executive function, risky behaviour and HIV in young women from the HPTN 068 study in rural South Africa. AIDS Care 2021; 33:682-692. [PMID: 33258691 PMCID: PMC8650142 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2020.1851016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Executive function (EF) may predict sexual risk-taking and HIV risk in young women in rural South Africa. We tested associations between EF and seven risky behavioural outcomes: binge drinking, illicit substance use, unprotected vaginal sex, concurrent sexual relationships, transactional sex, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, and HIV infection. We compared EF in young women with HIV to matched controls. 1080 young women underwent cognitive assessments. Better verbal short-term memory was associated with a lower risk of HSV-2 (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.69, 0.86; p < 0.001). Uncorrected trends (p < 0.05) were better verbal working memory being associated with a lower risk of concurrency, better planning with a lower risk of illicit drug use, and better affective inhibition with a lower risk of transactional sex. 78 participants with sexually acquired HIV were matched with 153 HIV-negative controls and had poorer verbal working memory than controls (Hedge's g = -0.38; 95% CI -0.66, -0.10; p = 0.0076), but this was non-significant after adjustment. EF's contribution to young women's risky behaviour in this context does not hold when stringent statistical corrections are applied, with only verbal short term memory reaching statistical significance as predictor. Replication in other samples is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Rowe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mihaela Duta
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nele Demeyere
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Audrey Pettifor
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alan Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Rowe K, Buivydaite R, Heinsohn T, Rahimzadeh M, Wagner RG, Scerif G, Stein A. Executive function in HIV-affected children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analyses. AIDS Care 2021; 33:833-857. [PMID: 33764813 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1873232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This review aimed to determine: whether EF is affected in children and adolescents (2-24-years-old) with perinatal HIV infection, perinatal HIV exposure without infection, and behaviourally acquired HIV. A systematic review (PROSPERO number: CRD42017067813) was conducted using 11 electronic databases (01.01.1981-09.07.2019) and 8 conference websites. Primary quantitative studies with EF scores on cognitive tasks and/or behavioural report measures were included. Meta-analyses were performed by EF subtype and subpopulations compared. 1789 records were found. Sixty-one studies were included in the narrative synthesis; 32 (N = 7884 participants) were included in meta-analyses. There was a distinct pattern of reduced EF in those with perinatal HIV infection on antiretroviral therapy compared to controls: pooled effect sizes were largest for verbal and visuospatial working memory, with smaller effects on planning, inhibitory control and set-shifting. Data were limited for other HIV-affected subpopulations. Perinatal HIV infection is associated with reduced EF with varying effect sizes for the different EF subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Rowe
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ruta Buivydaite
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Torben Heinsohn
- Medical School, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mana Rahimzadeh
- Medical School, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alan Stein
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Kobayashi LC, Farrell MT, Langa KM, Mahlalela N, Wagner RG, Berkman LF. Incidence of Cognitive Impairment during Aging in Rural South Africa: Evidence from HAALSI, 2014 to 2019. Neuroepidemiology 2021; 55:100-108. [PMID: 33657567 PMCID: PMC8058235 DOI: 10.1159/000513276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite rapid population aging, there are currently limited data on the incidence of aging-related cognitive impairment in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to determine the incidence of cognitive impairment and its distribution across key demographic, social, and health-related factors among older adults in rural South Africa. METHODS Data were from in-person interviews with 3,856 adults aged ≥40 who were free from cognitive impairment at baseline in the population-representative cohort, "Health and Aging in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa" (HAALSI), in Agincourt sub-district, Mpumalanga province, South Africa (2014-19). Cognitive impairment was defined as scoring <1.5 standard deviations below the mean of the baseline distribution of orientation and episodic memory scores. Incidence rates and rate ratios for cognitive impairment were estimated according to key demographic, social, and health-related factors, adjusted for age, sex/gender, and country of birth. RESULTS The incidence of cognitive impairment was 25.7/1,000 person-years (PY; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.0-28.8), weighted for mortality (12%) and attrition (6%) over the 3.5-year mean follow-up (range: 1.5-4.8 years). Incidence increased with age, from 8.9/1,000 PY (95% CI: 5.2-16.8) among those aged 40-44 to 93.5/1,000 PY (95% CI: 75.9-116.3) among those aged 80+, and age-specific risks were similar by sex/gender. Incidence was strongly associated with formal education and literacy, as well as marital status, household assets, employment, and alcohol consumption but not with history of smoking, hypertension, stroke, angina, heart attack, diabetes, or prevalent HIV. CONCLUSIONS This study presents some of the first incidence rate estimates for aging-related cognitive impairment in rural South Africa. Social disparities in incident cognitive impairment rates were apparent in patterns similar to those observed in many high-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA,
- Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA,
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kenneth M Langa
- Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Nomsa Mahlalela
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Farrell MT, Kobayashi LC, Montana L, Wagner RG, Demeyere N, Berkman L. Disparity in Educational Attainment Partially Explains Cognitive Gender Differences in Older Rural South Africans. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 75:e161-e173. [PMID: 32211786 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Direction and magnitude of gender differences in late-life cognitive function are inextricably tied to sociocultural context. Our study evaluates education and literacy as primary drivers of gender equality in cognitive performance among middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa. METHOD Data were collected on 1,938 participants aged 40-79 from Agincourt, South Africa. Cognitive function was measured via the Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus, a tablet-based assessment with low literacy demands. Four cognitive domains were derived through confirmatory factor analysis: episodic memory, executive function, visual spatial, and language. Structural equation models tested domain-specific gender effects, incrementally controlling for demographic, education, health, and socioeconomic variables. RESULTS In the model adjusting only for demographic factors, men outperformed women on executive function and visual-spatial domains. Adding education and literacy to the model revealed a robust female advantage in episodic memory, and reduced the magnitude of male advantage in executive function and visual and spatial by 47% and 42%, respectively. Health and socioeconomic factors did not alter patterns of gender associations in subsequent models. DISCUSSION In this older South African cohort, gender inequality in cognitive performance was partially attributable to educational differences. Understanding biopsychosocial mechanisms that promote cognitive resilience in older women is critically important given the predominantly female composition of aging populations worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Livia Montana
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nele Demeyere
- Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Lisa Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Diallo AO, Ali MK, Geldsetzer P, Gower EW, Mukama T, Wagner RG, Davies J, Bijlsma MJ, Sudharsanan N. Systolic blood pressure and 6-year mortality in South Africa: a country-wide, population-based cohort study. The Lancet Healthy Longevity 2021; 2:e78-e86. [DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(20)30050-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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Seabi TM, Wagner RG, Norris SA, Tollman SM, Twine R, Dunger DB, Kahn K. Adolescents' understanding of obesity: a qualitative study from rural South Africa. Glob Health Action 2021; 14:1968598. [PMID: 34482795 PMCID: PMC8425773 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2021.1968598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Levels of obesity are rising in South Africa, notably among adolescent females. Excessive energy-dense diets and physical inactivity are among the factors contributing to this increase. Given that these factors are largely behavioural, understanding young people’s views of obesity can contribute to more targeted behavioural interventions. Yet little is known of how rural South African adolescents view obesity. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore rural South African adolescents’ views of obesity, including their understanding of its causes, consequences, and solutions. Methods This qualitative study took place within the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) study area, in rural northeast South Africa. Three focus group discussions were held with male (n = 16) and female adolescents (n = 15), aged 14–19 years in 2018. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the Social Cognitive Theory used to frame the findings. Results Participants presented conflicting views of obesity, with both positive and negative opinions expressed. Causes of obesity were seen to be multifactorial, including genetics, diet, lack of physical activity, and HIV treatment. Adolescents proposed medication and hospitalisation as ways to address obesity. When discussing interventions to address obesity, adolescents expressed the need for more information, suggesting that providing information to both themselves and their family members as part of interventions would be important. Conclusions Rural South African adolescents have a complex perspective of obesity, likely driven in part by the current nutrition transition underway and do not inherently see individual behaviour as a driver or mitigator of obesity. Complex interventions including the involvement of other household members are needed to change adolescents’ views on the role of the individual, and ultimately, change both individual and household behaviour to prevent obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tshegofatso M Seabi
- Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shane A Norris
- Samrc Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stephen M Tollman
- Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rhian Twine
- Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - David B Dunger
- Department of Paedaitrics, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Audet CM, Shepherd BE, Aliyu MH, Moshabela M, Pettapiece-Phillips MJ, Wagner RG. Healer-led vs. clinician-led training to improve personal protective equipment use among traditional healers in South Africa: a randomized controlled trial protocol. Glob Health Action 2021; 14:1898131. [PMID: 33797347 PMCID: PMC8023590 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2021.1898131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There are estimated two million traditional healers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with more than 10% (200,000) working in South Africa. Traditional healers in SSA are frequently exposed to bloodborne pathogens through the widespread practice of traditional 'injections', in which the healers perform dozens of subcutaneous incisions to rub herbs directly into the bloodied tissue with their hands. Healers who report exposure to patient blood have a 2.2-fold higher risk of being HIV-positive than those who do not report exposure. We propose a randomized controlled trial (61 healers in the intervention group and 61 healers in the control group) in Mpumalanga Province. Healers will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) education and training, general HIV prevention education, and three educational outreach visits at the healer's place of practice to provide advice and support for PPE use and disposal. Healers in the control arm will be trained by health care providers, while participants in the intervention arm will receive training and outreach from a team of healers who were early adopters of PPE. We will evaluate intervention implementation using data from surveys, observation, and educational assessments. Implementation outcomes of interest include acceptability and feasibility of PPE use during clinical encounters and fidelity of PPE use during treatments that involve blood exposure. We will test our two intervention strategies to identify an optimal strategy for PPE education in a region with high HIV prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M. Audet
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bryan E. Shepherd
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Muktar H. Aliyu
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mosa Moshabela
- School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | | | - Ryan G. Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Wagner RG, Norström F, Bertram MY, Tollman S, Forsgren L, Newton CR, Lindholm L. Community health workers to improve adherence to anti-seizure medication in rural South Africa: Is it cost-effective? Epilepsia 2021; 62:98-106. [PMID: 33236782 PMCID: PMC7839757 DOI: 10.1111/epi.16756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Epilepsy is a common, chronic neurological disorder that disproportionately affects individuals living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the treatment gap remains high and adherence to medication remains low. Community health workers (CHWs) have been shown to be effective at improving adherence to chronic medications, yet no study assessing the costs of CHWs in epilepsy management has been reported. METHODS Using a Markov model with age- and sex-varying transition probabilities, we determined whether deploying CHWs to improve epilepsy treatment adherence in rural South Africa would be cost-effective. Data were derived using published studies from rural South Africa. Official statistics and international disability weights provided cost and health state values, respectively, and health gains were measured using quality adjusted life years (QALYs). RESULTS The intervention was estimated at International Dollars ($) 123 250 per annum per sub-district community and cost $1494 and $1857 per QALY gained for males and females, respectively. Assuming a costlier intervention and lower effectiveness, cost per QALY was still less than South Africa's Gross Domestic Product per capita of $13 215, the cost-effectiveness threshold applied. SIGNIFICANCE CHWs would be cost-effective and the intervention dominated even when costs and effects of the intervention were unfavorably varied. Health system re-engineering currently underway in South Africa identifies CHWs as vital links in primary health care, thereby ensuring sustainability of the intervention. Further research on understanding local health state utility values and cost-effectiveness thresholds could further inform the current model, and undertaking the proposed intervention would provide better estimates of its efficacy on reducing the epilepsy treatment gap in rural South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan G. Wagner
- Studies of Epidemiology of Epilepsy in Demographic Surveillance Systems (SEEDS) – INDEPTH NetworkAccraGhana
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt)School of Public HealthFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- Department of Epidemiology and Global HealthUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
- Department of Clinical Sciences, NeurosciencesUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
| | - Fredrik Norström
- Department of Epidemiology and Global HealthUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
| | | | - Stephen Tollman
- Studies of Epidemiology of Epilepsy in Demographic Surveillance Systems (SEEDS) – INDEPTH NetworkAccraGhana
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt)School of Public HealthFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- Department of Epidemiology and Global HealthUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
| | - Lars Forsgren
- Department of Clinical Sciences, NeurosciencesUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
| | - Charles R. Newton
- Studies of Epidemiology of Epilepsy in Demographic Surveillance Systems (SEEDS) – INDEPTH NetworkAccraGhana
- KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeCentre for Geographic Medicine Research – CoastKilifiKenya
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Lars Lindholm
- Department of Epidemiology and Global HealthUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
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Asiimwe SB, Farrell M, Kobayashi LC, Manne-Goehler J, Kahn K, Tollman SM, Kabudula CW, Gómez-Olivé FX, Wagner RG, Montana L, Berkman LF, Glymour MM, Bärnighausen T. Cognitive differences associated with HIV serostatus and antiretroviral therapy use in a population-based sample of older adults in South Africa. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16625. [PMID: 33024208 PMCID: PMC7539005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73689-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous clinical studies have reported adverse cognitive outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH), but there are no population-based studies comparing cognitive function between older PLWH and comparators without HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed baseline data of 40 + years-old participants in "Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa" (HAALSI) cohort. We measured cognition using a battery of conventional instruments assessing orientation, immediate- and delayed-recall, and numeracy (N = 4560), and the Oxford Cognitive Screen [OCS]-Plus, a novel instrument for low-literacy populations, assessing memory, language, visual-spatial ability, and executive functioning (N = 1997). Linear regression models comparing cognitive scores between participants with and without HIV were adjusted for sex, education, age, country of birth, father's occupation, ever-consumed alcohol, and asset index. PLWH scored on average 0.06 (95% CI 0.01-0.12) standard deviation (SD) units higher on the conventional cognitive function measure and 0.02 (95% CI - 0.07 to 0.04) SD units lower on the OCS-Plus measure than HIV-negative participants. We found higher cognitive function scores for PLWH compared to people without HIV when using a conventional measure of cognitive function but not when using a novel instrument for low-literacy settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen B Asiimwe
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th St., Mission Hall, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Meagan Farrell
- Havard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jen Manne-Goehler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stephen M Tollman
- INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - F Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Livia Montana
- Havard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Havard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - M Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th St., Mission Hall, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Till Bärnighausen
- Havard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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Harling G, Kobayashi LC, Farrell MT, Wagner RG, Tollman S, Berkman L. Social contact, social support, and cognitive health in a population-based study of middle-aged and older men and women in rural South Africa. Soc Sci Med 2020; 260:113167. [PMID: 32688161 PMCID: PMC7441312 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several theories seek to explain how social connections and cognitive function are interconnected in older age. These include that social interaction protects against cognitive decline, that cognitive decline leads to shedding of social connections and that cognitive decline leads to increased instrumental support. We investigated how patterns of social contact, social support and cognitive health in rural South Africa fit with these three theories. METHOD We used data from the baseline of "Health and Aging in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH community in South Africa" (HAALSI), a population-based study of 5059 individuals aged ≥ 40 years. We evaluated how a range of egocentric social connectedness measures varied by respondents' cognitive function. RESULTS We found that respondents with lower cognitive function had smaller, denser social networks that were more local and more kin-based than their peers. Lower cognitive function was associated with receipt of less social support generally, but this difference was stronger for emotional and informational support than for financial and physical support. Impairment was associated with greater differences among those aged 40-59 and those with any (versus no) educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS The patterns we found suggest that cognitively impaired older adults in this setting rely on their core social networks for support, and that theories relating to social connectedness and cognitive function developed in higher-income and higher-education settings may also apply in lower-resource settings elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Harling
- Institute for Global Health. University College London, United Kingdom; Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana
| | - Lisa Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Audet CM, Clemens EM, Ngobeni S, Mkansi M, Sack DE, Wagner RG. Throwing the bones to diagnose HIV: Views of rural South African traditional healers on undertaking HIV counselling and testing. AIDS Care 2020; 33:1316-1320. [PMID: 32799661 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2020.1808568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In 2018, nearly 800,000 HIV positive individuals in South Africa were unaware of their status. Traditional healers see patients who avoid health clinics, including those who refuse HIV testing. This manuscript details the results of a qualitative study to understand traditional healer perspectives on performing healer-initiated HIV counseling and testing HIV in rural South Africa. We conducted 30 structured in-depth interviews between April and June 2019 to elicit traditional healer attitudes towards partnering with local health services to perform HIV counseling and testing with their patients. Healers reported that while some patients are open about their HIV status, others lie about it due to stigma. This creates challenges with concurrent treatment, which healers believe leads to allopathic and/or traditional medication treatment failure. Most healers expressed both an interest and a willingness to perform HIV counseling and testing. Healers felt that by performing testing in the community, it would overcome issues related to HIV stigma, as well as a lack of confidentiality and trust with health care workers at the clinic. Trained traditional healers may be able to bridge the testing gap between "non-testers" and the allopathic health system, essentially "opening" thousands of new testing locations with little financial investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Audet
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Elise M Clemens
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Sizzy Ngobeni
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mevian Mkansi
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Daniel E Sack
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Kobayashi LC, Farrell MT, Payne CF, Mall S, Montana L, Wagner RG, Kahn K, Tollman S, Berkman LF. Adverse childhood experiences and domain-specific cognitive function in a population-based study of older adults in rural South Africa. Psychol Aging 2020; 35:818-830. [PMID: 32700929 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Research on early life adversity and later-life cognitive function is conflicting, with little evidence from low-income settings. We investigated associations between adverse childhood experiences and cognitive function in an older population who grew up under racial segregation during South African apartheid. Data were from 1,871 adults aged 40-79 in the population-representative "Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa" in 2015. The adverse childhood experiences were having a parent unemployed for > 6 months; having parents who argued or fought often; having a parent who drank excessively, used drugs, or had mental health problems; and physical abuse from parents. Executive function, language, visuospatial ability, and memory were assessed with the Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus, a validated cognitive assessment designed for low-income, low-literacy settings. We estimated associations between adverse childhood experiences and latent cognitive domain z-scores using multiple-indicator, multiple-cause structural equation models. Childhood adversities were reported by 15% (parental unemployment for > 6 months), 25% (parents argued or fought often), 25% (a parent drank excessively, used drugs, or had mental health problems), and 35% (physical abuse from parent) of respondents. They were not associated with cognition, except that having a parent who drank excessively, used drugs, or had mental health problems was associated with lower memory z-scores (-0.07; 95% CI [-0.13, -0.01]). This is one of the first investigations into later-life cognitive outcomes associated with early adversity in a population with a historical context of pervasive trauma, and suggests that later-life memory may be vulnerable to early adversity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Kobayashi
- Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health
| | - Meagan T Farrell
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
| | - Collin F Payne
- School of Demography, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
| | - Sumaya Mall
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand
| | | | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC-Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC-Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC-Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
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Audet CM, Gobbo E, Sack DE, Clemens EM, Ngobeni S, Mkansi M, Aliyu MH, Wagner RG. Traditional healers use of personal protective equipment: a qualitative study in rural South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:655. [PMID: 32669101 PMCID: PMC7362457 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05515-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditional healers are frequently exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through the widespread practice of traditional "injections", in which the healer performs dozens of subcutaneous incisions using a razor blade to rub herbs directly into bloodied tissue. An average healer in Agincourt, a rural northeastern sub-district in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, experiences approximately 1500 occupational blood exposures over the course of their lifetime. Healers in Agincourt have an HIV prevalence of 30% compared to 19% in the general population, and healers who report exposure to patient blood have an adjusted 2.4-fold higher odds of being HIV-positive than those with no exposure. Although research on appropriate PPE use has been well documented for allopathic care providers, little is known about the practices of traditional healers. METHODS This qualitative study was conducted with 30 traditional healers who practice in the rural Bushbuckridge sub-district of Mpumalanga province, northeastern South Africa. We elicited traditional healer attitudes towards glove use during traditional treatments - including patient baths, injections, or other treatments that exposed healers to patient blood or open sores. RESULTS While 90% of healers reported using latex gloves during some treatments, the majority do not use them regularly. Most employ a combination of gloves, plastic shopping bags, bread bags, paper, and sticks to prevent blood exposure. Healers reported plastic bags slipping or breaking during procedures, exposing them to patient blood. Only three healers consistently used gloves, regardless of the cost. CONCLUSIONS Inadequate PPE use and high HIV prevalence make traditional healers particularly susceptible to contracting HIV in rural South Africa. Despite positive attitudes, consistent glove use remains low due to financial constraints and glove availability. Addressing issues of accessibility and cost of gloves for traditional healers could have a significant impact on the adherence to PPE and, in turn, reduce new HIV infections among this high-risk group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Audet
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2525 West End Avenue, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
| | - Elisa Gobbo
- Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Daniel E Sack
- School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, 1161 21st Ave S # D3300, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Elise M Clemens
- School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, 1161 21st Ave S # D3300, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Sizzy Ngobeni
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Mevian Mkansi
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Muktar H Aliyu
- Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2525 West End Avenue, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Ryan G Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
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