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Objective: To measure associations between participation in community-based microfinance groups, retention in HIV care, and death among people with HIV (PWH) in low-resource settings., Design and Methods: We prospectively analyzed data from 3609 patients enrolled in an HIV care program in western Kenya. HIV patients who were eligible and chose to participate in a Group Integrated Savings for Health Empowerment (GISHE) microfinance group were matched 1 : 2 on age, sex, year of enrollment in HIV care, and location of initial HIV clinic visit to patients not participating in GISHE. Follow-up data were abstracted from medical records from January 2018 through February 2020. Logistic regression analysis examined associations between GISHE participation and two outcomes: retention in HIV care (i.e. >1 HIV care visit attended within 6 months prior to the end of follow-up) and death. Socioeconomic factors associated with HIV outcomes were included in adjusted models., Results: The study population was majority women (78.3%) with a median age of 37.4 years. Microfinance group participants were more likely to be retained in care relative to HIV patients not participating in a microfinance group [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.71; P = 0.046]. Participation in group microfinance was associated with a reduced odds of death during the follow-up period (aOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.28-1.09; P = 0.105)., Conclusion: Participation in group-based microfinance appears to be associated with better HIV treatment outcomes. A randomized trial is needed to assess whether microfinance groups can improve clinical and socioeconomic outcomes among PWH in similar settings., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify lessons learned from partnerships addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic that can inform those needed to mitigate the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Design: We selected and analysed a convenience sample of organizational partnerships developed to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in LMICs, focusing on their specific strategies and contributions., Methods: A review of published literature and website information pertaining to a convenience sample of five global organizations and/or types of partnerships that provide support to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic was qualitatively analysed to assess key areas of support provided to scale-up services in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic., Results: Six topical areas of support were identified: HIV/AIDS service delivery; enhancing comprehensive health systems capacity; operational and implementation science research to improve care delivery; introducing and improving the availability of new products; political advocacy; and early-stage planning for sustainability and transition to more independent implementing-country delivery programmes. These six areas of support were qualitatively assessed for identify a focus, contributory or minimal contribution on the part of each of the organizations and/or types of partnerships reviewed., Conclusion: No single global partnership addresses the range of support needed to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and this will likely be true for an effective response to the emerging NCD epidemic. A range of coordinated financial and/or technical support as well as lessons learned from global HIV/AIDS partnerships will be key to achieving an effective response to the global NCD epidemic.

Objective: There is limited evidence on whether growing mobile phone availability in sub-Saharan Africa can be used to promote high adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study tested the efficacy of short message service (SMS) reminders on adherence to ART among patients attending a rural clinic in Kenya., Design: A randomized controlled trial of four SMS reminder interventions with 48 weeks of follow-up., Methods: Four hundred and thirty-one adult patients who had initiated ART within 3 months were enrolled and randomly assigned to a control group or one of the four intervention groups. Participants in the intervention groups received SMS reminders that were either short or long and sent at a daily or weekly frequency. Adherence was measured using the medication event monitoring system. The primary outcome was whether adherence exceeded 90% during each 12-week period of analysis and the 48-week study period. The secondary outcome was whether there were treatment interruptions lasting at least 48 h., Results: In intention-to-treat analysis, 53% of participants receiving weekly SMS reminders achieved adherence of at least 90% during the 48 weeks of the study, compared with 40% of participants in the control group (P = 0.03). Participants in groups receiving weekly reminders were also significantly less likely to experience treatment interruptions exceeding 48 h during the 48-week follow-up period than participants in the control group (81 vs. 90%, P = 0.03)., Conclusion: These results suggest that SMS reminders may be an important tool to achieve optimal treatment response in resource-limited settings.

Background: The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief committed $15 billion to addressing HIV in resource-poor settings., Objective: To assess the impact of The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief on the treatment services of an HIV care program., Design, Setting, and Patients: Cohort study utilizing computerized medical records of nonpregnant adults enrolled into the Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS system, in western Kenya between 27 November 2001 and 24 July 2006., Main Outcomes Measures: Number of clinics and patients enrolled in Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, as well as patient demographics, immunologic, and clinical characteristics during three periods defined by the availability of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)., Results: Enrollment as of May 2006 was 23,539. Mean monthly enrollment increased from 64 to 815 between periods 1 and 3. The median CD4 cell count at enrollment during period 3 (172 cells/microl) was significantly higher than for period 2 (119 cells/microl; P < 0.001). World Health Organization stage at enrollment differed significantly between periods with 6.7% having stage 4 disease in period 3 compared with 13.8% during period 1 (P < 0.001). Significantly more patients had complete documentation of cART eligibility, during period 3 as compared with the previous periods. Time from enrollment to cART initiation decreased from a median of 64 weeks in period 1 to 12 weeks during period 3 (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding has allowed Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS to significantly increase the number of individuals receiving HIV care and provided the ability to expand services allowing for identification of patients earlier in their disease process.

Objectives: To determine the clinical and immunological outcomes of a cohort of HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy., Design: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data from consecutively enrolled adult HIV-infected patients in eight HIV clinics in western Kenya., Methods: CD4 cell counts, weight, mortality, loss to follow-up and adherence to antiretroviral therapy were collected for the 2059 HIV-positive non-pregnant adult patients treated with antiretroviral drugs between November 2001 and February 2005., Results: Median duration of follow-up after initiation of antiretroviral therapy was 40 weeks (95% confidence interval, 38-43); 111 patients (5.4%) were documented as deceased and 505 (24.5%) were lost to follow-up. Among 1766 (86%) evaluated for adherence to their antiretroviral regimen, 78% reported perfect adherence at every visit. Although patients with and without perfect adherence gained weight, patients with less than perfect adherence gained 1.04 kg less weight than those reporting perfect adherence (P = 0.059). CD4 cell counts increased by a mean of 109 cells/microl during the first 6 weeks of therapy and increased more slowly thereafter, resulting in overall CD4 cell count increases of 160, 225 and 297 cells/microl at 12, 24, and 36 months respectively. At 1 year, a mean increase of 170 cells/microl was seen among patients reporting perfect adherence compared with 123 cells/microl among those reporting some missed doses (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Antiretroviral treatment of adult Kenyans in this cohort resulted in significant and persistent clinical and immunological benefit. These findings document the viability and effectiveness of large-scale HIV treatment initiatives in resource-limited settings.