HIV treatment outcomes among people who acquired HIV via injecting drug use in the Asia‐Pacific region: a longitudinal cohort study

INTRODUCTIONData on HIV treatment outcomes in people who inject drugs (PWID) in the Asia‐Pacific are sparse despite the high burden of drug use. We assessed immunological and virological responses, AIDS‐defining events and mortality among PWID receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).METHODSWe investigated HIV treatment outcomes among people who acquired HIV via injecting drug use in the TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database (TAHOD) between January 2003 and March 2019. Trends in CD4 count and viral suppression (VS, HIV viral load <1000 copies/mL) were assessed. Factors associated with mean CD4 changes were analysed using repeated measures linear regression, and combined AIDS event and mortality were analysed using survival analysis.RESULTSOf 622 PWID from 12 countries in the Asia‐Pacific, 93% were male and the median age at ART initiation was 31 years (IQR, 28 to 34). The median pre‐ART CD4 count was 71 cells/µL. CD4 counts increased over time, with a mean difference of 401 (95% CI, 372 to 457) cells/µL at year‐10 (n = 78). Higher follow‐up HIV viral load and pre‐ART CD4 counts were associated with smaller increases in CD4 counts. Among 361 PWID with ≥1 viral load after six months on ART, proportions with VS were 82%, 88% and 93% at 2‐, 5‐ and 10‐years following ART initiation. There were 52 new AIDS‐defining events and 50 deaths during 3347 person‐years of follow‐up (PYS) (incidence 3.05/100 PYS, 95% CI, 2.51 to 3.70). Previous AIDS or TB diagnosis, lower current CD4 count and adherence <95% were associated with combined new AIDS‐defining event and death.CONCLUSIONSDespite improved outcomes over time, our findings highlight the need for rapid ART initiation and adherence support among PWID within Asian settings.     

Good practices in health promotion for older people – Significance for evidence in health policy

This article is devoted to convincing policy makers to use good practices in encouraging older people to pursue adequate and effective health policies. Long-term scientific research focused on the effects of health promotion programmes is rarely undertaken, although its scope is still expanding. At the same time, it is strongly desirable to form health policy based on scientific evidence. In this situation, an indication of good practices characterised by precisely defined features and their systematic evaluation could be an alternative to an insufficient number of empirical studies. The first step of the methodology was a literature review on health promotion for older people, aimed at defining good practices and criteria used for their selection. The authors searched the following databases: PubMED, Embase and Cochrane Library, as well as international databases dedicated to health promotion programmes for older people (e.g. Age-friendly World ( https://extranet.who.int/agefriendlyworld/age-friendly-practice-database-launched ); HealthProElderly ( www.healthproelderly.com/database/index.php?id=16 ); JA-CHRODIS ( www.chrodis.eu ); EuroHealthNet ( www.eurohealthnet.eu ) and ProFouND; ( www.profound.eu.com ). As relevant health policy information is usually available in national languages, the authors then approached national experts in 10 European countries, who filled in a dedicated survey on health promotion programmes for older people and indicated examples of good practices from their countries. Practical evidence, based on real implemented programmes, is valuable as inspiration for health promotion programmes, their planning and management. Selecting good practices from among implemented and evaluated actions makes it possible to establish their value. The significance of good practices in health promotion is to deliver real benefits and health effects for a target group, which, in the case of evident benefits, renders the practices credible and worthy of further dissemination. The EU already successfully shares good practices in migrant health and environmental protection. Creating databases on good practices helps policy makers promote the sustainability of already implemented activities and enhances their applicability by other organisations and in different settings.     

Community care staff attitudes towards delivering a falls prevention exercise intervention to community care clients

Millions of older people world-wide receive community care services in their home to assist them to live independently. These services often include personal care, domestic assistance and social support which are delivered by non-university trained staff, and are frequently long term. Older people receiving community care services fall 50% more often than individuals of similar age not receiving services. Yet, few ongoing community care services include exercise programs to reduce falls in this population. We conducted an earlier study to examine the feasibility of community care staff delivering a falls prevention program. A critical finding was that while some of the assessment and support staff responsible for service delivery delivered the falls prevention exercise program to one or two clients, others delivered to none. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative sub-study was to understand reasons for this variation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participating support staff and assessors from 10 community care organisations. Staff who had successfully delivered the intervention to their clients perceived themselves as capable and that it would benefit their clients. Older clients who were positive, motivated and wanted to improve were perceived to be more likely to participate. Staff who had worked at their organisation for at least 5 years were also more likely to deliver the program compared to those that had only worked up to 2 years. Staff that did not deliver the intervention to anyone were more risk averse, did not feel confident enough to deliver the program and perceived their clients as not suitable due to age and frailty. Experienced staff who are confident and have positive ageing attitudes are most likely to deliver falls prevention programs in a home care organisation.     

Community-living older people’s interpretation of the Norwegian version of older people’s quality of life (OPQOL) questionnaire

The aim of this study is to investigate how community-living older people interpret the Norwegian version of Older People's Quality of Life (OPQOL) questionnaire. The original OPQOL questionnaire was translated based on guidelines for cross-cultural translation. The Three-Step Test-Interview instrument was adopted to investigate how community-living older people interpreted the questionnaire. Data were collected from 14 participants (72–89 years). The questionnaire was filled in under observation. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to clarify the observational data and elicit the participants’ experiences and opinions. Lastly, data were analysed using a hermeneutic interpretation approach. Our findings indicate that most of the participants managed to complete the OPQOL questionnaire without problems. The data analysis resulted in four primary themes: relevance & applicability, formulation, consistency & accuracy and subjectivity. The questionnaire covered all aspects related to the participants’ quality of life. However, statements related to religion were found to be irrelevant to their quality of life. Most of the participants thought that religion, philosophy and culture should be separate rather than included in the same statement. The participants missed the option of ‘not applicable’ when the statements were irrelevant to them. The statements are formulated in both positive and negative ways, which was sometimes confusing to them. The participants perceived phases such as “around me” “local,” and “things” as ambiguous, and thus they raised concerns about whether the OPQOL questionnaire could capture consistent data regarding their quality of life. The results of this study pinpoint the issues that community-living older people faced when interpreting and answering the Norwegian version of OPQOL questionnaire. These issues were mostly caused by sociocultural differences. Our work provides an overview of the changes that must be made in the questionnaire in order to address these sociocultural differences while using the OPQOL questionnaire in the Norwegian context.     

The impact of community care services on the preference for ageing in place in urban China

This paper examines the relationship between community care services and ageing in place in urban China. Using data from the 2010 Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China, and within the framework of a revised version of Andersen's model, the paper applies multilevel models and analyses the effects of community care on the preference between ageing in place and institutional care, and reveals that ageing in place is preferred even in urban China. However, the existence of community care services had no significant effect on the preference for ageing in place. The paper concludes by arguing that China needs to develop its community care services and promote the idea of community care in both culture and policy. Realising ageing in place also requires a multidisciplinary approach. A model of shared care, between family and state, is particularly appropriate for China.     

What is the impact of day care on older people with long-term conditions: A systematic review

There is a lack of robust evidence regarding outcomes for day care use among older people living with long-term conditions (LTCs). Day care is provided by independent, private and voluntary and charitable sectors. This systematic review aims to establish current evidence of outcomes for older people with LTCs attending day care services and outcomes on carers, across all service models. Narrative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data was undertaken. The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic literature search was carried out across eight electronic databases and reference lists of key journals between 2004 and October 2020 were searched. Searches returned 1,202 unique titles. Forty-five articles from 16 countries met the criteria on review of title, abstract and full article. There is limited evidence suggesting improved levels of perceived psychological health, quality of life, perceived general health, physical health and functioning for older people attending day care who have LTCs. The respite function of day care resulted in positive outcomes for carers. Studies evaluating outcomes for participants or carers were limited in quantity and quality. There is limited information regarding outcomes for day care attendance for older people with multiple LTCs from existing literature. Further research focusing on LTCs and day care attendance would benefit this field.     

Addressing alcohol and other drug use among young people from migrant and ethnic minority backgrounds: Perspectives of service providers in Melbourne,Australia

Young people from migrant and ethnic minority backgrounds are recognised as emerging priority populations for reducing alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related harms in Australia. Limited research has investigated how service providers address AOD challenges in migrant communities. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 15 service providers from AOD, migrant support, community and other health services in a diverse region of Melbourne. Interviews explored the challenges that service providers faced and the strategies they implemented to engage with young migrants in relation to AOD use. Thematic analysis was used to generate four themes: stigma as a barrier to service delivery, intergenerational differences between young people and parents, the need for outreach and establishing trust and understanding over time. Service providers believed that stigma prevented many young people from migrant backgrounds having open conversations about their AOD use with family members and professionals. Participants perceived that some parents had less AOD-related knowledge and lower English language proficiency than their children creating challenges for effective communication. Service providers recognised the importance of engaging with young people in settings where they felt comfortable rather than expecting them to approach their service. Participants also acknowledged the need to invest time in establishing trust and understanding with young migrants so they could facilitate conversations about AOD use as relationships evolved. Although service providers had a strong understanding of young people's needs, they found it challenging to build relationships in the context of funding and time constraints. Our results indicate the need for long-term funding and timelines that enable service providers to build strong relationships with young migrants, their families and their broader cultural communities to facilitate access to AOD support.     

中国八城市老年人能量及蛋白质摄入与肌肉衰减症的关系

目的探究中国八城市老年人能量、蛋白质摄入水平与肌肉衰减症的关系。方法数据来源于2016年的"中国城市成年人群膳食与健康关系研究"。采用立意抽样和多阶段整群抽样相结合的方法,抽取65岁及以上研究对象427人,采用问卷调查的方法获得社会人口学特征和生活习惯,采用24小时膳食回顾调查法获得调查对象膳食摄入情况并根据《中国食物成分表》计算能量、蛋白质摄入。使用四分位数将研究对象按照能量摄入水平分为4组:Q1(<1197.6 kcal/d)、Q2(1197.6~1531.4 kacl/d)、Q3(1531.4~1984.1 kcal/d)、Q4(≥1984.1 kacl/d);使用四分位数将研究对象按照蛋白质摄入水平分为4组:Q1(<36.8 g/d)、Q2(36.8~50.4 g/d)、Q3(50.4~68.6 g/d)、Q4(≥68.6 g/d)。生物电阻抗法测量四肢骨骼肌质量,使用手持握力计测量骨骼肌力量,四米步速测试测量骨骼肌功能。根据亚洲肌肉衰减症工作组的标准评价调查人群的骨骼肌健康现状。结果与Q1组相比,能量摄入水平较高的Q2~Q4组的四肢骨骼肌质量、握力、步速以及肌肉衰减症检出率差异无统计学意义。与Q1组相比,蛋白质摄入Q2组具有较大的握力(β=0.12,95%CI 0.03~0.21,P=0.009)和较快的步速(β=0.20,95%CI 0.07~0.34,P=0.003)。结论膳食蛋白质摄入水平与中国老年人握力及步速存在关联,但与肌肉衰减症检出率无显著关联。     

我国居家老人对社区三类健康服务需求的影响因素分析

目的 综合分析我国居家老人对社区保健知识、精神蔚籍和上门看病送药三类健康服务需求的影响因素。方法 利用CLHLS2017—2018调查数据,运用SPSS 23.0软件进行统计分析,采用二元logistic回归分析方法,探寻我国居家老人对社区三类健康服务需求的影响因素。结果 我国居家老人社区三类健康服务（保健知识:χ2 = 935.263,P＜0.001;精神蔚籍:χ2 = 406.578,P＜0.001;上门看病送药:χ2 = 325.448,P＜0.001）的需求与供给差异显著;除居住地、退休前职业、地区和抑郁程度是影响居家老人对三类健康服务需求的共同因素之外,两周患病（否:OR = 1.282,95%CI:1.072～1.534,P = 0.007）、每年体检（是:OR = 1.19,95%CI:1.021～1.387,P = 0.026）以及高血压诊断（否:OR = 1.224,95%CI:1.045～1.433,P = 0.012）等也影响居家老人对保健知识的需求,居住方式（独居:OR = 1.321,95%CI:1.094～1.594,P = 0.004）也影响居家老人对精神蔚籍的需求,年龄（70～79岁:OR = 0.792,95%CI:0.649～0.966,P = 0.022）和每年体检（是:OR = 0.821,95%CI:0.716～0.941,P = 0.005）也影响居家老人对上门看病送药的需求。结论 建议社区卫生机构全方位开展对健康居家老人的保健知识宣传;重视对独居和抑郁居家老人的心理健康服务;权衡自身资源和居家老人的实际情况,逐步推进上门看病送药服务。