Navigating life with hiv as an older adult on the Kenyan Coast: perceived health challenges seen through the biopsychosocial model

Objectives: This study explores the perceptions of adults living with HIV aged ≥50 years (recognized as older adults living with HIV—OALWH), primary caregivers and healthcare providers on the health challenges of ageing with HIV at Kilifi, a low literacy setting on the coast of Kenya. Methods: We utilized the biopsychosocial model to explore views from 34 OALWH and 22 stakeholders on the physical, mental, and psychosocial health challenges of ageing with HIV in Kilifi in 2019. Data were drawn from semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. A framework approach was used to synthesize the data. Results: Symptoms of common mental disorders, comorbidities, somatic symptoms, financial difficulties, stigma, and discrimination were viewed as common. There was also an overlap of perceived risk factors across the physical, mental, and psychosocial health domains, including family conflicts and poverty. Conclusion: OALWH at the Kenyan coast are perceived to be at risk of multiple physical, mental, and psychosocial challenges. Future research should quantify the burden of these challenges and examine the resources available to these adults

Strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing used by adults ageing with HIV from the Kenyan coast: a qualitative exploration

Background: Physical and mental health problems are common among older adults living with HIV (OALWH). Adaptive coping strategies play a vital role in improving these adults\u27 mental health and well-being despite the deleterious effects of HIV and ageing. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, limited evidence exists on the commonly utilized coping strategies in this population. We explore the coping strategies used by Kenyan OALWH to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 with 56 participants: 34 OALWH (53% female), 11 healthcare providers (63% female) and 11 primary caregivers (73% female) in Kilifi County. All interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to synthesize the qualitative data. Results: Five major themes emerged from the analysis of participants’ narratives, including self-care practices, religion and spirituality, relational living (social connectedness), generativity, identity, and mastery. Our study further revealed maladaptive coping strategies, including reliance on over-the-counter medications, self-isolation, waiting to see if symptoms would subside despite doing nothing, and HIV treatment interruptions during prolonged periods of prayer and fasting. Conclusions: Our findings provide an initial understanding of the coping strategies used by OALWH to confront HIV and ageing challenges in a low-literacy, low socio-economic Kenyan setting. Our results suggest that interventions designed to enhance personal capacity, social support, positive religiosity and spirituality, and intergenerational connections may be beneficial in improving the mental health and well-being of OALWH

Moving from medical to health systems classifications of deaths : extending verbal autopsy to collect information on the circumstances of mortality

Acknowledgements The authors would also like to acknowledge the field staff at the MRC, SA/Wits Agincourt Unit, particularly Sizzy Ngobeni. The authors also acknowledge Drs Malin Eriksson and Edward Fottrell at Umeå Centre for Global Health Research *UCGHR) who contributed to the development of the SF-VA indicators, Dr Nawi Ng at UCGHR who advised on the cause of death categories, and Dr Kerstin Edin at UCGHR who provided comments on the manuscript categories, and Dr Kerstin Edin who provided comments on the manuscript. Funding A Health Systems Research Initiative Development Grant from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Medical Research Council (MRC (and the Wellcome Trust (MR/N005597/1) funds the research presented in this paper. Support for the Agincourt HDSS including verbal autopsies was provided by The Wellcome Trust, UK (grants 058893/Z/99/A; 069683/Z/02/Z; 085477/Z/08/Z; 085477/B/08/Z), and the University of the Witwatersrand and Medical Research Council, South Africa.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Strategies for improving mental health and well being used by adults ageing with HIV: a qualitative exploration

Background: Physical and mental health problems are common among older adults living with HIV (OALWH). Adaptive coping strategies play a vital role in improving these adults\u27 mental health and well-being despite the deleterious effects of HIV and ageing. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, limited evidence exists on the commonly utilized coping strategies in this population. We explore the coping strategies used by Kenyan OALWH to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 with 56 participants: 34 OALWH (53% female), 11 healthcare providers (63% female) and 11 primary caregivers (73% female) in Kilifi County. All interviews were audio - recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to synthesize the qualitative data. Results: Five major themes emerged from the analysis of participants’ narratives, including self-care practices, religion and spirituality, relational living (social connectedness), generativity, identity, and mastery. Our study further revealed maladaptive coping strategies, including reliance on over-the-counter medications, self-isolation, waiting to see if symptoms would subside despite doing nothing, and HIV treatment interruptions during prolonged periods of prayer and fasting. Conclusions: Our findings provide an initial understanding of the coping strategies used by OALWH to confront HIV and ageing challenges in a low-literacy, low socio-economic Kenyan setting. Our results suggest that interventions designed to enhance personal capacity, social support, positive religiosity and spirituality, and intergenerational connections may be beneficial in improving the mental health and well-being of OALWH

Initiating a participatory action research process in the Agincourt health and socio–demographic surveillance site

Financial disclosure Funding: The research presented in this paper is funded by a Development Grant as part of the Health Systems Research Initiative from Department for International Development (DFID)/Medical Research Council (MRC)/Wellcome Trust/Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (MR/N005597/1). The fieldwork was completed with the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, with support from FORTE: Swedish Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (grant No. 2006–1512). The School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand, the South African Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust, UK support the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit and Agincourt HDSS (Grants 058893/Z/99/A; 069683/Z/02/Z; 085477/Z/08/Z; 085477/B/08/Z). OW is a recipient of an MSc Chevening Scholarship, the UK government's global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organizations (Chevening Ref.: NGCV–2015–1194).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Prevalence and factors associated with mild depressive and anxiety symptoms in older adults living with HIV from the Kenyan coast

Introduction: Empirical research on the burden and determinants of common mental disorders (CMDs), especially depression and anxiety, among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) in sub-Saharan Africa is inadequate. To bridge the gap in Kenya we: (1) determined the prevalence of CMDs among OALWH on routine HIV care compared to HIV-negative peers; (2) investigated HIV status as an independent predictor of CMDs in older adults; and (3) investigated CMD determinants. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021, the prevalence of CMDs and associated determinants were investigated at the Kenyan coast among 440 adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). The Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale were administered alongside measures capturing biopsychosocial information. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of CMDs. Results: No significant differences were found in the prevalence of mild depressive symptoms, 23.8% versus 18.2% (p = 0.16) and mild anxiety symptoms, 11.7% versus 7.2% (p = 0.12) among OALWH compared to HIV-negative peers, respectively. HIV status was not independently predictive of CMDs. Among OALWH, higher perceived HIV-related stigma, ageism, increasing household HIV burden, loneliness, increasing functional disability, sleeping difficulties, chronic fatigue and advanced age (\u3e70 years) were associated with elevated CMDs. Among HIV-negative older adults, loneliness, increased medication burden and sleeping difficulties were associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Easier access to HIV care was the only factor associated with lower CMDs among OALWH. Conclusions: On the Kenyan coast, the burden of moderate and severe CMDs among older adults is low; however, both OALWH and their HIV-negative peers have a similar relatively high burden of mild depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our results also suggest that determinants of CMDs among OALWH in this setting are predominantly psychosocial factors. These results highlight the need for psychosocial interventions (at the family, community and clinical levels) to mitigate the risks of mild CMDs as they are known to be potentially debilitating

Cosmological foundations revisited with Pantheon+

We reanalyse the Pantheon+ supernova catalogue to compare a cosmology with non-FLRW evolution, the "timescape cosmology", with the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. To this end, we consider the Pantheon+ supernova catalogue, which is the largest available Type Ia supernova dataset for a geometric comparison between the two models. We construct a covariance matrix to be as independent of cosmology as possible, including independence from the FLRW geometry and peculiar velocity with respect to FLRW average evolution. Within this framework, which goes far beyond most other definitions of "model independence", we introduce new statistics to refine Type Ia supernova (SneIa) light-curve analysis. In addition to conventional galaxy correlation functions used to define the scale of statistical homogeneity we introduce empirical statistics which enables a refined analysis of the distribution biases of SneIa light-curve parameters $\beta c$ and $\alpha x_1$. For lower redshifts, the Bayesian analysis highlights important features attributable to the increased number of low-redshift supernovae, the artefacts of model-dependent light-curve fitting and the cosmic structure through which we observe supernovae. This indicates the need for cosmology-independent data reduction to conduct a stronger investigation of the emergence of statistical homogeneity and to compare alternative cosmologies in light of recent challenges to the standard model. "Dark energy" is generally invoked as a place-holder for "new physics". Our from-first-principles reanalysis of the Pantheon+ catalogue supports future deeper studies of the interplay of matter and nonlinear spacetime geometry, in a data-driven setting. For the first time in 25 years, we find evidence that the Pantheon+ catalogue already contains such a wealth of data that with further reanalysis, a genuine "paradigm shift" may soon emerge. [Abridged]Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, 3 table

Pensions and Low Sodium Salt:A Qualitative Evaluation of a New Strategy for Managing Hypertension in Rural South Africa

BACKGROUND: This paper describes a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a novel intervention to improve the management of hypertension among older people in rural South Africa. Older South Africans have the highest rates of uncontrolled hypertension recorded for any country. Notably, South Africa has a widely-available old age grant (pension), which is delivered on a monthly basis to citizens living in rural villages.  METHODS: We assessed the feasibility of engaging with older people at the point of pension delivery in the Agincourt sub-district of Mpumalanga Province. This included providing information about hypertension, measuring blood pressure, referral to primary care services, and providing a monthly supply of low sodium salt. We recruited 20 people aged 60 and over to participate in the pilot intervention, which was conducted over three months in two villages. Towards the end of the intervention, we conducted focus groups with study participants and held a meeting with local stakeholders, including the district health office and the state social security agency.  RESULTS: The pilot study demonstrated (i) Sustained engagement with the original 20 participants. Of these, 19 continued to participate in the intervention during subsequent monthly pension days. (ii) A high level of acceptance of the low sodium salt product reflected in repeat usage and comments made in the focus groups. (iii) Strong support for the intervention and a willingness to collaborate with local stakeholders. (iv) A perception among participants that symptoms they associated with hypertension had abated. This is supported by blood pressure readings made over the three months of follow-up.  CONCLUSION: Though limited in scope, this pilot study provided evidence of the feasibility of the intervention and justification for it to be tested on a larger and more robust basis

Community perspectives on HIV, violence and health surveillance in rural South Africa : a participatory pilot study

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the study participants who contributed time and information and made significant contributions to the analysis, and the staff at the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Funding: The analysis presented in this paper is supported by Health Systems Research Initiative Development Grant from DFID/MRC/Wellcome Trust/ESRC (MR/N005597/1). The fieldwork was completed with the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, with support from FORTE: Swedish Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (grant No. 2006–1512). The Agincourt HDSS is supported by the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South African Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust, UK (Grants 058893/Z/99/A; 069683/Z/02/Z; 085477/Z/08/Z; 085477/B/08/Z)Peer reviewedPublisher PD