The relationship between HIV and reading performance for children in Tanzania

Area of Science:

• Pediatric HIV research
• Literacy development
• Cognitive and developmental delays

Background:

• Children with HIV (CWH) face higher risks for cognitive and developmental delays.
• The specific impact of HIV on reading development requires further investigation.
• Validated reading assessments are needed to accurately measure literacy in CWH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare reading skills between children with HIV (CWH) and children without HIV (CWOH) using the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA).
• To identify potential factors influencing literacy outcomes in CWH.

Main Methods:

• The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) was administered to 388 children (ages 3-8) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• The cohort included 171 CWH and 217 children without HIV (CWOH).
• Performance was compared, adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, education, English learning, and school type.

Main Results:

• CWH demonstrated significantly lower performance than CWOH on multiple EGRA subtests, including Letter Name Knowledge, Syllable, Non-Word, and Reading Comprehension.
• A trend towards lower performance was observed in Oral Reading Fluency for CWH.
• These findings persisted despite controlling for biological and environmental confounders.

Conclusions:

• Children with HIV exhibit poorer performance on key literacy skills compared to their peers without HIV.
• Early intervention strategies are essential to support literacy development in CWH.
• Further longitudinal research incorporating electrophysiological and behavioral data is recommended to understand the factors contributing to reading difficulties in CWH.