A Systematic Review Study on Prevalence, Determinants, and Risk Factors of HIV/AIDS among Pacific Countries ()
Affiliation(s)
1Discipline of Health Promotion, Department of Public Health & Primary Health Care, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
2Department of Nursing, Ministry of Health, Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
3Discipline of Emergency Health Management, Department of Public Health & Primary Health Care, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
4Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
5Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Weno, Federated States of Micronesia.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is known as the biggest public health challenge in
both developed and developing countries. This systematic review study is
carried out to assess the prevalence, determinants, and risk factors of HIV/AIDS in Pacific countries. Methods: This systematic review study applied Cochrane
Library Guideline to search, review, apprise, and analyze the articles related
to HIV/AIDS. Both qualitative and quantitative articles were published between
2000 to 2016, in English language and were published in databases such as MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, EBSCO, ProQuest,
Springer and PyschInfo. A data extraction sheet was made and a descriptive
statistic was applied to analyze the data. Results: Fifty-one studies met the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The
United States had the highest frequency of studies on HIV/AIDS (30 studies).
The overall prevalence of HIV/AIDS among Pacific islanders was between 1 to 14
percent. The most common determinants of community-based studies were ethnicity
and gender, while they were age and ethnicity in the school-based studies and
age in the hospital-based studies. The highest risk factors for HIV were
substance abuse, number of sexual partners and unprotected sex. Conclusion:The results of the study highlighted the main determinants and risk
factors, which provide a framework for public health experts and program
planners to focus on different aspects of HIV/AIDS. As HIV/AIDS is a culturally
sensitive health issue, developing preventive strategies considering the
factors determined in this study will be strongly advised.
Share and Cite:
Mohammadnezhad, M. , Fetuu, F. , Mangum, T. , Alakalia, J. and Lucas, J. (2016) A Systematic Review Study on Prevalence, Determinants, and Risk Factors of HIV/AIDS among Pacific Countries.
World Journal of AIDS,
6, 218-237. doi:
10.4236/wja.2016.64024.
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