Background: Cervical cancer is among the most prevalent cancer among women worldwide and women living with HIV are at increased risk, especially in a resource-limited environment. Objective: This study aimed to determine levels of awareness, knowledge, uptake, and willingness to screen for cervical cancer among women receiving care in an HIV clinic at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital (DRRH), Tanzania. Methods: Data were collected for a period of three weeks from July 21 to August 11, 2017 using a mobile phone data collection App. A total of 421 Women aged 18-50 years old were included in the study. Results: Majority of the women interviewed (n=306, 73%) were aware of cervical cancer. Among those who were aware, 84% (n=257) did not recall ever being screened for cervical cancer, and majority had a poor knowledge of cervical cancer. Educational level completed (p=0.01), income per month (p=0.02), age group (p<0.0001), and area of residence (p<0.0001) were all significantly associated to awareness of cervical cancer. Most of the women who have never screened (n=231, 91%) expressed willingness to be screened. Prior uptake of cervical cancer screening was associated with number of live births (p=0.001) and area of residence (p=0.04). And Willingness to screen was significantly associated with age groups (p=0.03) and the number of live births (p=0.03). Moreover, we found that younger age and urban residence was positively associated with awareness and uptake of cervical cancer screening. Willingness was found to decrease as age increased. Conclusion: The study found that despite older women’s higher risk of cervical cancer, those who indicated willingness to screen were younger. Additional education, health promotion, and integration of cervical cancer screening services is needed to improve cervical cancer awareness and screening uptake at the HIV clinic.

Objectives Pill count is used to assess drug adherence in people living with HIV (PLHIV). Carrying a pillbox is associated with fear of concealment and stigma and might indicate poor adherence and predict someone who will be lost to follow‐up (LTFU). We therefore assessed the association between pillbox return and being LTFU in rural Tanzania. Methods This is a nested study of the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort (KIULARCO). We included PLHIV aged ≥ 18 years enrolled in KIULARCO between January 2013 and March 2019 with follow‐up through January 2020, who were on antiretroviral treatment (ART) for ≥ 6 months. Baseline was defined as the latest ART initiation or KIULARCO enrolment. We determined the association between time‐dependent failed pillbox return updated at every visit and LTFU using Kaplan–Meier estimation and Cox models. Results Among 2552 PLHIV included in the study, 1735 (68.0%) were female, 959 (40.3%) had a WHO stage III/IV and 1487 (66.4%) had a CD4 cell count < 350 cells/µL. The median age was 38.4 years [interquartile range (IQR): 31.7–46.2]. During a median follow‐up of 33.1 months (IQR: 17.5–52.4), 909 (35.6%) participants were LTFU, 43 (1.7%) died and 194 (7.6%) had transferred to another clinic. The probability of being LTFU was higher among PLHIV with failed pillbox return than among those who returned their pillbox [30.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 26.8–33.2% vs. 19.4%, 95% CI: 17.4–21.6%, respectively, at 24 months (hazard ratio = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.46–1.90; p < 0.001)]. Conclusions Failed pillbox return was associated with a higher risk of being LTFU and could be used as a simple tool to identify PLHIV for appropriate interventions to reduce their chance of being LTFU.

Background: The intention of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and regular clinic visits is to engender safe sex attitudes among HIV-infected individuals. However, this may not be the case due to the perceived therapeutic benefits of ART and may result in exposure to drug-resistant HIV strains. Objective: We aimed to determine the prevalence and predict the factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among ART users in a resource-limited environment. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-one sexually active ART users aged 18-50 years and seeking care at the HIV clinic in Dodoma, Tanzania, participated in this study. The outcome variables modeled in a logistic regression were condom use, multiple sex partners, casual sex partners, and payment for sex. The predictors included in the models were the patients' socio-demographic characteristics. In addition, a new variable, sexual risk scores, was generated by culminating all the outcome variables. Finally, multiple Poisson regression with the socio-demographic variables of the participants was used to model the sexual risk scores. Results: Patients reported inconsistent/no condom use (44%), payment for sex (4%), casual sex encounters (13%), multiple sex partners (21%), and STD symptoms (15%). While having a casual sexual partner was significantly associated with age group in a Pearson Chi-square (p=0.0147), participants ≤35 years old were less likely to have single-sex partners than older participants (AOR: 0.188, 95 C.I: 0.042-0.0849). Meanwhile, the likelihood of condom use was higher among participants with no HIV-infected family members (AOR= 2.409, 95% C.I:1.236,4.697) and among participants who have single-sex partners (AOR= 2.721, 95% C.I.: 1.115,6.640); these participants were less likely to report STD symptoms (AOR=0.265, 95% C.I.: 0.081-0.865). Adjusted analysis showed that estimated mean sexual risk scores significantly increased (mean, λ=1.61, 95% C.I:1.0817-2.4063) for recent ART recipients (within 1-3 years vs. ≥eight years). However, sexual risk scores of participants with HIV stage 3 were 38.8% lower than participants at stage 4 (95% C.I.: 0.3910-0.9558), and non-alcohol drinkers had an adjusted mean sexual risk score 29% lower than participants who were alcohol drinkers (95% C.I.: 0.5102-0.9879). Conclusion: Researchers should prioritize patients at HIV CTC for education concerning safe sexual practices for those characterized by alcohol consumption, younger age (less than 35 years old), HIV stage 4, or commencement of ART within three years.

Endocrine disrupting agents are widely discussed as risk factors for several tumor sites. For testicular cancer only one study supports this hypothesis (e.g. Ohlson and Hardell, 2000). Between 1995 and 1997 a population-based case-control study on testicular cancer was conducted on 269 cases and 797 controls aged 15 to 69 years. Data on endocrine disruptors were not raised specifically. A quantification concept for the exposure was developed with xenoestrogens to be applied to personal interviews including detailed working histories. Occupations comprising the contact with known xenoestrogens were identified. Exposures to hormones, alkyl phenols, phthalates, PCB, pesticides, bisphenol A, dioxin, phenol resin, and others were considered. Supplementary questionnaires describing in detail the particular work processes were used to obtain information about frequency, intensity and duration of the respective processes and possible occupational safety measures that were taken. A manual was developed that describes in detail the semi-automatic algorithm for the individual assessment and quantification of the agents listed above. New variables were introduced for exposure dimensions that had to be rated manually, like the type, the probability, and the intensity of the exposure and the confidence in the manual rating. Exposure dimensions were classified into 4 to 6 different categories. Manual classification was done twice by independent raters. Both estimates were generally in good agreement. Weighted Kappa values were 0.9 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.87 -0.93) for type, 0.74 (95% CI: 0.70 -0.79) for intensity, 0.74 (95% CI: 0.69 -0.79) for probability, and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97 -1.00) for frequency of exposure, respectively. The newly developed procedure for assessment and quantification of the exposure to xenoestrogens proved to be sufficiently reliable to be used for the epidemiological analysis in the case-control study.