Condom Use and Number of Sexual Partners among Secondary School Female Students in an Urban City of Cameroon

Background: Although some studies in Cameroon have addressed the issue of condom use and multiple sexual partners separately, the association between multiple sexual partnership and condom use is limited.Objectives: This study examines information on the association between condom use and number of sexual partners among female students in an urban city of Cameroon.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from a probability sample of 210 female students. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program.Results: About 56.2% were sexually active, some of whom had multiple sexual partners. Condom use was low. Condom use was significantly negatively associated with multiple sexual partners, with respondents reporting multiple sexual partners less likely to use condoms. Conclusion: The proportion of female students who engage in multiple sexual partners without using condoms are at risk of HIV transmission. Sexuality education and a friendly environment for condom availability are key in addressing the risky sexual behaviours of female students.Key words: Cameroon, condom use, HIV/AIDS, multiple sexual partners, secondary school female student

Sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon

Introduction: since female learners in high schools in Cameroon fall within the age group hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, it is assumed that these learners might be exposed to sexual risk behaviours. However, little has been  explored on the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Cameroon. This study aimed at examining the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon. Methods: a cross sectional design was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. Respondents were selected through disproportional stratified simple random sampling resulting in 210 female grade 10 to grade 12 learners from three participating high schools in Mbonge subdivision, Cameroon. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program. Results: majority ofthe respondents, 54.0% reported being sexually active, of whom only  39.8% used condoms during first sex; 49.5% used condoms during last sex and 29.6% used condoms consistently. Up to 32% of the sexually active respondents had multiple sexual partners in the past one year  before the study, while 9.3% had multiple sexual partners during the study period. The mean age of first sex was 15.6 years. Lack of parental control,religion, academic profile, poverty, place of residence and perception of risk of HIV infection were the main factors significantly associated with sexual risk behaviours. Conclusion: the findings indicate that sexual risk behaviours exist among high school female learners in Mbonge, Cameroon. There is need for campaigns and interventions to bring about sexual behaviour change

Perceptions Regarding HIV/AIDS and Risky Behaviours Among Prison Inmates in Southwest Region of Cameroon

Prisoners are at exceptional risk of infection with HIV because of the association of injection drug use, tattooing, sex between men and unprotected sexual intercourse with incarceration. This study described the perceptions regarding HIV/ AIDS and risky behaviours among prison inmates in Kumba in the Southwest region of Cameroon.This was a cross sectional study, conducted among 232 male prison inmates in Kumba, in December 2015. Data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire, and analysed using frequencies, percentages and Chi-square at the level 0.05, using SPSS version 20 software program. The majority, 178 (76.8%) were between the ages of 25 and 45 years; most, 133 (57.3%) had primary education and 184 (79.3%) were Christians. Most of them, 125 (53.9%) perceived that prison inmates are prone to HIV/AIDS, and only 44 (19%) perceived that condoms are available in the prison; 56 (24.1%) perceived that sterile objects are available in the prison; majority, 187 (80.6%) perceived that sexual intercourse exists in the prison, but only 39 (16.8%) perceived that condoms are used by inmates. Majority, 136 (58.6%) perceived that tattooing is practised in the prison, and 170 (73.3%) agreed that sexuality education should be provided in the prison. Being of a lower academic level was associated with an increased perception that prison inmates are prone to HIV/AIDS infection (P=0.030), and also associated with an increased perception that tattooing is being practised in the prison (P=0.034). These findings call for concerted efforts by stakeholders to implement strategies to improve the perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS, and to eliminate risky behaviours among prison inmates that might expose them to HIV infection

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019.

BACKGROUND: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. METHODS: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1-38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78-0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91-1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95-1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58-35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49-42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05-0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76-2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. INTERPRETATION: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. FUNDING: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH

Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Anaemia is a major health problem worldwide. Global estimates of anaemia burden are crucial for developing appropriate interventions to meet current international targets for disease mitigation. We describe the prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends of anaemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories. Methods We estimated population-level distributions of haemoglobin concentration by age and sex for each location from 1990 to 2021. We then calculated anaemia burden by severity and associated years lived with disability (YLDs). With data on prevalence of the causes of anaemia and associated cause-specific shifts in haemoglobin concentrations, we modelled the proportion of anaemia attributed to 37 underlying causes for all locations, years, and demographics in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Findings In 2021, the global prevalence of anaemia across all ages was 24·3% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 23·9–24·7), corresponding to 1·92 billion (1·89–1·95) prevalent cases, compared with a prevalence of 28·2% (27·8–28·5) and 1·50 billion (1·48–1·52) prevalent cases in 1990. Large variations were observed in anaemia burden by age, sex, and geography, with children younger than 5 years, women, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia being particularly affected. Anaemia caused 52·0 million (35·1–75·1) YLDs in 2021, and the YLD rate due to anaemia declined with increasing Socio-demographic Index. The most common causes of anaemia YLDs in 2021 were dietary iron deficiency (cause-specific anaemia YLD rate per 100 000 population: 422·4 [95% UI 286·1–612·9]), haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias (89·0 [58·2–123·7]), and other neglected tropical diseases (36·3 [24·4–52·8]), collectively accounting for 84·7% (84·1–85·2) of anaemia YLDs. Interpretation Anaemia remains a substantial global health challenge, with persistent disparities according to age, sex, and geography. Estimates of cause-specific anaemia burden can be used to design locally relevant health interventions aimed at improving anaemia management and prevention. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020

Background The health risks associated with moderate alcohol consumption continue to be debated. Small amounts of alcohol might lower the risk of some health outcomes but increase the risk of others, suggesting that the overall risk depends, in part, on background disease rates, which vary by region, age, sex, and year. Methods For this analysis, we constructed burden-weighted dose–response relative risk curves across 22 health outcomes to estimate the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL) and non-drinker equivalence (NDE), the consumption level at which the health risk is equivalent to that of a non-drinker, using disease rates from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020 for 21 regions, including 204 countries and territories, by 5-year age group, sex, and year for individuals aged 15–95 years and older from 1990 to 2020. Based on the NDE, we quantified the population consuming harmful amounts of alcohol. Findings The burden-weighted relative risk curves for alcohol use varied by region and age. Among individuals aged 15–39 years in 2020, the TMREL varied between 0 (95% uncertainty interval 0–0) and 0·603 (0·400–1·00) standard drinks per day, and the NDE varied between 0·002 (0–0) and 1·75 (0·698–4·30) standard drinks per day. Among individuals aged 40 years and older, the burden-weighted relative risk curve was J-shaped for all regions, with a 2020 TMREL that ranged from 0·114 (0–0·403) to 1·87 (0·500–3·30) standard drinks per day and an NDE that ranged between 0·193 (0–0·900) and 6·94 (3·40–8·30) standard drinks per day. Among individuals consuming harmful amounts of alcohol in 2020, 59·1% (54·3–65·4) were aged 15–39 years and 76·9% (73·0–81·3) were male. Interpretation There is strong evidence to support recommendations on alcohol consumption varying by age and location. Stronger interventions, particularly those tailored towards younger individuals, are needed to reduce the substantial global health loss attributable to alcohol. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Perceptions Regarding HIV/AIDS and Risky Behaviours Among Prison Inmates in Southwest Region of Cameroon

Prisoners are at exceptional risk of infection with HIV because of the association of injection drug use, tattooing, sex between men and unprotected sexual intercourse with incarceration. This study described the perceptions regarding HIV/ AIDS and risky behaviours among prison inmates in Kumba in the Southwest region of Cameroon.This was a cross sectional study, conducted among 232 male prison inmates in Kumba, in December 2015. Data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire, and analysed using frequencies, percentages and Chi-square at the level 0.05, using SPSS version 20 software program. The majority, 178 (76.8%) were between the ages of 25 and 45 years; most, 133 (57.3%) had primary education and 184 (79.3%) were Christians. Most of them, 125 (53.9%) perceived that prison inmates are prone to HIV/AIDS, and only 44 (19%) perceived that condoms are available in the prison; 56 (24.1%) perceived that sterile objects are available in the prison; majority, 187 (80.6%) perceived that sexual intercourse exists in the prison, but only 39 (16.8%) perceived that condoms are used by inmates. Majority, 136 (58.6%) perceived that tattooing is practised in the prison, and 170 (73.3%) agreed that sexuality education should be provided in the prison. Being of a lower academic level was associated with an increased perception that prison inmates are prone to HIV/AIDS infection (P=0.030), and also associated with an increased perception that tattooing is being practised in the prison (P=0.034). These findings call for concerted efforts by stakeholders to implement strategies to improve the perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS, and to eliminate risky behaviours among prison inmates that might expose them to HIV infection