HIV Testing and Treatment Outcomes in Malnourished Children in Malawi
Author Information
Author(s): Bahwere Paluku, Piwoz Ellen, Joshua Marthias C, Sadler Kate, Grobler-Tanner Caroline H, Guerrero Saul, Collins Steve
Primary Institution: Valid International
Hypothesis
Can HIV testing be integrated into Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) to improve identification and treatment of HIV-infected children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)?
Conclusion
CTC is a potentially valuable entry point for providing HIV testing and care in the community to HIV-infected children with SAM.
Supporting Evidence
- 60.7% of parents and 94% of children accepted HIV testing.
- HIV prevalence in severely malnourished children was found to be 3%.
- 59% of HIV-positive and 83% of HIV-negative children achieved satisfactory nutritional recovery.
Takeaway
This study shows that testing for HIV can be done in community programs for malnourished children, helping many kids get the care they need.
Methodology
A community-based cohort study with retrospective and prospective cohorts assessing HIV testing uptake and nutritional recovery in children with SAM.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the nature of the cohorts and reliance on clinical records for data.
Limitations
The study may be subject to survival bias and has limited statistical power due to the small number of HIV-positive children.
Participant Demographics
Children under 5 years of age, with a mean age of 30.0 months in the retrospective cohort and 26.5 months in the prospective cohort.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.003
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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