Researchers involved in the collaborative Igugu Lethu study – a couples-focused intervention aimed at promoting couples’ HIV testing and counselling – revealed that of the 122 couples participating, three in 10 had a positive HIV test for one partner.
Igugu Lethu is a joint effort between the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, the goal being to improve the intervention previously used by the earlier uThando Lwethu study.
In the new study, couples were offered screening and support for other health conditions, including diabetes. The results, released at the recent Aids conference in Durban, show that the changes made to the couples’ intervention were successful in supporting more couples to decide to test for HIV together, reports News24.
It was conducted in accordance with international guidelines for good clinical practice in clinical trials and with the approval of the HSRC’s research ethics committee, the faculty of medicine’s research ethics committee and the health research committee of the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department.
The researchers said couples had been given a referral letter to take to the clinic’s medical providers, and follow-up calls were made after one week to check whether they had gone to the clinic.
“If they did not go, we discussed with them what the barriers had been and how we could help. The couples attended the clinic for HIV treatment on average six days after receiving their HIV results. One in five of these couples also had a referral for hypertension or diabetes in addition to their HIV referral,” read the study.
Additional findings were that six in 10 women, who completed the health screening, were either overweight or obese for their height, compared with less than two in 10 men.
In contrast, two in 10 men were underweight for their height, compared with one in 10 women.
The couples were also offered a chance to provide a sample of STI testing during health screening.
“In six out of every 10 couples, both partners were negative for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. For about three out of 10 couples, one partner had at least one positive STI result. The remaining one out of every 10 couples had STI results for both partners, usually for the same infections. There were only five in 100 women who tested positive for gonorrhoea.”
According to the study, couples living together participated because they were interested in improving their health knowledge. In contrast, those not living together were attracted to the project because they sought skills to strengthen their relationship.
“The additional health tests were very well received, with some respondents reporting motivation to change their lifestyle, such as healthier diets.
“The couples said they did not take up health screening because of time constraints, fear, and one partner not being ready. However, in the end, they all reported that the study provided benefits in improved communication skills.”
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