HIV Testing among sexually active Ghanaians: an examination of the rural-urban correlates.

HIV testing is critical in reducing the risk of HIV transmission. We investigated the rural-urban correlates of HIV testing amongst sexually active Ghanaians using data from the 2017/2018 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Six (GMICS 6). Robust Poisson models (reporting Adjusted Prevalence Ratios (APR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs)) were used to achieve this aim. About 46% of the participants had ever tested for HIV. According to the results, approximately 52% and 39% of urban and rural dwellers, respectively, have undergone HIV testing. HIV knowledge, HIV stigma, gender, age, education, marital status, childbirth history, sexual history, health insurance coverage, media exposure, household wealth, and region of residence were significantly related to HIV testing with observed variations across rural-urban areas. The findings call for the expansion of advocacy efforts towards encouraging HIV testing, targeting sexually active Ghanaians particularly in rural areas.

RESUMEN: La prueba del VIH es fundamental para reducir el riesgo de transmisión del VIH. Investigamos los correlatos rural-urbanos de las pruebas del VIH entre los ghaneses sexualmente activos utilizando datos de la Encuesta de Indicadores Múltiples por Conglomerados de Ghana 2017/2018 (GMICS 6). Se utilizaron modelos robustos de Poisson (que informan de índices de prevalencia ajustados (APR) e intervalos de confianza (IC) del 95%) para lograr este objetivo. Alrededor del cuarenta y seis por ciento de los participantes se habían hecho alguna vez la prueba del VIH. Según los resultados, aproximadamente el cincuenta y dos por ciento y el treinta y nueve por ciento de los habitantes urbanos y rurales, respectivamente, se han realizado la prueba del VIH. El conocimiento del VIH, el estigma del VIH, el género, la edad, la educación, el estado civil, el historial de partos, el historial sexual, la cobertura de seguro médico, la exposición a los medios, la riqueza del hogar y la región de residencia se relacionaron significativamente con las pruebas del VIH con variaciones observadas entre las zonas rurales y urbanas. Los hallazgos exigen la expansión de los esfuerzos de promoción para alentar las pruebas del VIH, enfocándose en los ghaneses sexualmente activos, particularmente en las áreas rurales.

Relationship between mothers'/caregivers' reported learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Children with learning difficulties are vulnerable to internalizing symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression. However, only few studies have examined this relationship in low-and-middle-income countries using a nationally representative data. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the relationship between learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana while controlling for covariates. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We analyzed children's data using mothers'/caregivers' reports from the 2017/2018 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Six (MICS 6). Data of 8,958 children aged 5-17 years were used for the analysis. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: About 20% of the children had some learning difficulties whereas 5% could not learn at all. Learning difficulty was associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression of children. Specifically, children who had some learning difficulties had higher odds of feeling anxious [APOR = 1.28, 95% CI:1.11, 1.49, p = 0.001] while those with some difficulties [APOR=1.24, 95% CI:1.07, 1.44, p = 0.004] and a lot of difficulties or could not learn at all [APOR=1.74, 95% CI:1.28, 2.37, p < 0.01] had higher odds of feeling depressed. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings call on stakeholders in education and health to prioritize the mental health of all school-going children, particularly those with learning difficulties in Ghana.