Publications

This section aims to provide a comprehensive review of research related to the UK African HIV epidemic, published in the last quarter. This issue covers publications between July and October 2003.

Reports | Papers | Books

Books

Community-Based Participatory Research for Health

Edited by Meredith Minkler & Nina Wallerstein. Forward by Budd Hall

Publishers Blurb: Meredith Minkler and Nina Wallerstein have brought together, in one important volume, a stellar panel of contributors who offer a comprehensive resource on the theory and application of community based participatory research. Community Based Participatory Research for Health contains information on a wide variety of topics including planning and conducting research, working with communities, promoting social change, and core research methods. The book also contains a helpful appendix of tools, guides, checklists, sample protocols, and much more.

Jossey-Bass, November 2002 • 512 pages • ISBN: 0-7879-6457-3

Making Sense of Research
Second Edition

Gill Hek, Pamela Moule & Maggie Judd

Publishers Blurb (Abridged): Research is now a crucial function of health and social care practice. All professionals in these fields need to understand research and be able to apply it in their daily care. Making Sense of Research aims to demystify research by introducing the relevant and essential elements. The authors provide a foundation of research knowledge by explaining the role of research in health and social care, giving an overview of the research process and presenting a range of approaches both quantitative and qualitative. This completely revised and updated Second Edition is an invaluable introductory text for students and qualified practitioners in the health and social care professions who have no prior training or experience in the area.

Sage Publications, September 2003 • ISBN: 1412900883

Papers

The following papers were published in peer-reviewed journals between 1st June 2003 and 1st September 2003.

Dougan, S. & Harris, J. P. (2003). Overcounting of black Africans in the UK: the problem of undetected record duplication. Commun.Dis.Public Health, 6, 147-151.
Difficulties in recording unfamiliar African names, leading to inconsistent reporting of ‘surname’ code of the same individual, has raised concern that there is overcounting of newly diagnosed HIV-positive black Africans in the UK. Date of birth was used as a proxy indicator for duplication of entries of black Africans in the national HIV/AIDS patient database. Significantly more black Africans (59%) than whites (56%) share the same date of birth (p = 0.0023), and among black Africans certain birthdays occur at a very high frequency. Although this investigation provided evidence of selective failure to detect duplicated reports of the same individual among reports of HIV-positive black Africans, in practical terms, the relatively small proportion (2.4%) of remaining excess duplicates is equivalent to 141 black African individuals on the database, and would not impact on the overall picture of the HIV epidemic in the UK

Rain-Taljaard, R. et al (2003). Potential for an intervention based on male circumcision in a South African town with high levels of HIV infection. AIDS Care, 15, 315-327.
The authors investigate the potential for an intervention based on male circumcision in a South African town with a high level of HIV infection. Among men aged 25-59 years, 36% reported being circumcised. The median reported age at circumcision was 20. A total of 42% of 14-24-year-old circumcised men reported having been circumcised in a medical setting. Circumcised and uncircumcised men did not differ in their sexual behaviour or in sociodemographic characteristics, apart from their age and ethnic group. An intervention that would include male circumcision seems feasible in communities such as the one where this study was conducted but needs to be carefully planned in order to ensure that participants understand that circumcision probably reduces, but certainly does not eliminate, the risk of HIV infection

Potts, M. & Walsh, J. (2003). Tackling India’s HIV epidemic: lessons from Africa. BMJ, 326, 1389-1392.
The rapid spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the greatest failures in the history of public health. Given our detailed understanding of HIV and the natural course of AIDS, the virus should have been controllable. Yet in some African countries 20% of people aged over 15 are HIV positive and 70% of them will eventually die from AIDS. By 2010 the number of HIV infections in India is predicted to rise from 4 million to 20-25 million. The authors discuss 10 important lessons from Africa that could limit the spread of HIV in India

Orrell, C., Bangsberg, D. R., Badri, M., & Wood, R. (2003). Adherence is not a barrier to successful antiretroviral therapy in South Africa. AIDS, 17, 1369-1375.
The authors aimed to determine adherence of an indigent African HIV-infected cohort initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to identify predictors of incomplete adherence (< 95%) and virologic failure (> 400 HIV RNA copies/ml). They found that the proportion of individuals achieving viral suppression matched results from the developing world. Speaking the same language as site staff and simplified dosing frequency were beneficial. Socio-economic status had no impact on adherence and should not be used as a limitation to ART access

Kebaabetswe, P., etal (2003). Male circumcision: an acceptable strategy for HIV prevention in Botswana. Sex Transm.Infect., 79, 214-219.
The authors conducted a cross sectional survey in nine geographically representative locations in Botswana to determine the acceptability of male circumcision in the country, as well as the preferred age and setting for male circumcision. Male circumcision appears to be highly acceptable in Botswana and the option for safe male circumcision should be made available to parents in Botswana.

Booysen, F. R. & Arntz, T. (2003). The methodology of HIV/AIDS impact studies: a review of current practices. Soc.Sci.Med., 56, 2391-2405.
This review of studies on the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS shows that diversity in methodological design, which often is a result of practical considerations and resource constraints rather than of poor design, is the norm. This limits the comparability of research findings. More detailed reporting on method, which is not the norm, can go some way towards facilitating such comparison. The review underlines the importance of exploring intervention issues in more detail. More longitudinal studies are required to explore the long-term impacts of HIV/AIDS.

Mocroft, A., et al (2003). Decline in the AIDS and death rates in the EuroSIDA study: an observational study. Lancet, 362, 22-29.
Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), little is known about whether changes in HIV-1 mortality and morbidity rates have been sustained. The authors assessed possible changes in these rates across Europe. They found that the initial drop in mortality and morbidity after the introduction of HAART has been sustained. Potential long-term adverse effects associated with HAART have not altered its effectiveness in treating AIDS.

Carne, C. A., et al. (2003). Variation in clinical practice in genitourinary medicine clinics in the United Kingdom. Sex Transm.Infect., 79, 240-242.
This study was conducted to examine the variation in clinical practice in genitourinary medicine clinics in the United Kingdom in early 2002. It found that the test for infection least likely to be offered to heterosexuals is an HIV test (71% and 70% of clinics routinely offer this to male and female heterosexuals respectively). The practice of permitting “low risk” patients to telephone for their HIV results now extends to 24% of clinics. Other significant variations in clinical practice were documented. The findings indicate the need for further evidence to guide clinical practice and a wider knowledge and debate of national guidelines.

Sinka, K. et al. (2003). Impact of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa on the pattern of HIV in the UK. AIDS, 17, 1683-1690.
The authors describe the epidemiology of HIV infection acquired in Africa and among African communities in the United Kingdom. Of all reported HIV infections diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the end of 2001, 21% (9993 of 48,226) were probably acquired in Africa and 90% of these infections were heterosexually acquired. Infections acquired in Africa and among Africans are making an increasing contribution to HIV infection in the United Kingdom.. Improvement in early diagnosis of HIV continues to be an important component of intervention to prevent onward vertical and sexual transmission and to promote access to treatment and care.

McMichael, A. J. & Hanke, T. (2003). HIV vaccines 1983-2003. Nature Medicine., 9, 874-880.
Twenty years after the discovery of HIV, there is still no vaccine. This year, an envelope vaccine aimed at stimulating neutralizing antibodies was unable to protect against infection in phase 3 trials. But more than 20 HIV vaccines designed to stimulate T-cell responses are being developed. Will any of them work?

Weston, H. J. (2003). Public honour, private shame and HIV: issues affecting sexual health service delivery in London’s South Asian communities. Health Place., 9, 109-117.
Within a wider discussion of health service provision for black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, this paper considers how socio-cultural factors affect the provision of HIV and sexual health services to South Asians in London. It argues that communally held concepts of honour and shame within South Asian communities create a framework of social control with significant implications for HIV/AIDS transmission. It examines the provision of culturally sensitive services to BME communities by ethnically specific and generic service providers through a case study of the Naz Project London. Finally, it proposes an agenda for future research into BME sexual health service provision