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Human immunodeficiency virus positive status disclosure among children in northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
Getachew Asmare Adella1, Meklit Abie Yimer2, Endeshaw Chekol Abebe3
1School of Public Health, College of Health Science and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia, Ethiopia.
Insights
Disclosure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status to children is crucial for their care. Factors like family size, child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- HIV/AIDS Management
Background:
- Disclosure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive status is vital for pediatric care and long-term disease management.
- Caregivers and healthcare workers face significant challenges in disclosing HIV status to children.
- Understanding disclosure rates and associated factors is crucial for improving care in resource-limited settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of HIV positive status disclosure among children living with HIV in northwest Ethiopia.
- To identify factors associated with HIV positive status disclosure in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 390 HIV-positive children attending pediatric ART clinics.
- Participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique.
- Data were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires and analyzed using binary logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Over half (53.6%) of the HIV-positive children were aware of their HIV status.
- Key predictors for disclosure included larger family size (greater than three members), children over 10 years old, and those on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for over five years.
- Children on ART for more than 5 years had a significantly higher likelihood of knowing their HIV status (AOR=8.96).
Conclusions:
- HIV status disclosure rates in the study area were relatively high compared to other studies.
- Family size, child's age, and duration of ART are significant predictors of HIV status disclosure.
- Healthcare providers should consider these factors to enhance disclosure strategies for children living with HIV.
Background:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus positive status disclosure is an essential component of pediatric care and longterm disease management. However, one of the greatest challenges that caregiver/mothers and health care workers face is the disclosure of HIV positive status to children living with the virus. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess HIV positive status disclosure and associated factors among HIV positive children in northwest Ethiopia.
Methods:
Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 sampled HIV positive children attending pediatric ART clinics of public health facilities from February 01 to March 30 2020 in northwest Ethiopia. Simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection and the collected data entered into Epi data software. Binary logistic regression analysis was done and variables with P-value <0.05 was considered as a significant predictors of HIV positive status disclosure of HIV positive children.
Result:
From 417 sampled population, 390 were involved in this study making 93.5% response rate. The study revealed that 53.6% with 95% CI (0.486-0.586) of HIV positive children knew their HIV positive sero status. Caregiver/mothers who had greater than three family sizes (AOR=1.984, 95% CI=1.046-3.762), children whose ages greater than 10 years (AOR=6.679, 95% CI=3.372-13.227) and children on ART for more than 5 years (AOR=8.96, 95% CI=6.402-12.257) were predictors of HIV positive status disclosure.
Conclusion:
The HIV positive status disclosure was high in the study area relative to other studies. Family size, children age, and length of children on ART were predictors of HIV positive status disclosure for HIV positive children. Health care providers, especially those working at pediatrics ART clinics should keep these factors in mid while working with caregivers to encourage disclosure of HIV positive status.
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