Title: Epidemiological methods.

POPLINE Document Number: 125506

Author(s):

Todd J
Barongo L

Source citation:

In: HIV prevention and AIDS care in Africa. A district level approach, edited by Japheth Ng'weshemi, Ties Boerma, John Bennett and Dick Schapink. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Royal Tropical Institute, 1997. :51-68.

Abstract:

Epidemiologic methods are useful to the development of HIV/AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Such methods can help to detail the natural history of HIV, identify its causes and determinants, assess its social consequences for the community, and provide a basis for the design of effective interventions. This chapter presents some simple epidemiologic techniques health workers and planners can use at the district level for tasks such as estimating the overall HIV prevalence in a community. A sentinel surveillance system can be used to monitor trends in HIV prevalence. For example, quarterly sentinel surveillance of HIV prevalence among women attending a large antenatal clinic in Tanzania's Mwanza District revealed a stabilization at around 12%. However, this procedure cannot specify the numbers of new infections or of people who have already died of AIDS. Incidence is more difficult to measure, since it requires establishment of a cohort that can be followed over time. In later stages of the HIV epidemic, behavior changes and interventions may lower the HIV incidence rate, but prevalence will remain high for several years. Much valuable epidemiologic data are contained in routine health records kept at hospitals, health centers, and dispensaries. Finally, studies that assess the association between risk factors and HIV infection in a community are essential to the design of interventions targeted at high-risk groups. Simple risk-related questions, combined with HIV test results, can be used to determine the HIV prevalence in relation to the level at which a particular risk factor is absent or present in a district.

Keywords:

Africa, Sub Saharan
HIV Prevention
AIDS Prevention
Action Research
Epidemiologic Methods
Health Services Administration
Program Development
Africa
Developing Countries
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
AIDS
Research Methodology
Management
Organization and Administration
Programs