The study identified access barriers to ART for HIV-positive TB patients and their relevance in Namibia. The findings provide evidence for tailored interventions to increase ART-uptake among HIV-positive TB patients.
The objectives of this study were to assess the current status of HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB) of employees in the private transport sector in Namibia and to compare companies with established HIV workplace program (WPPs) with those that have recently initiated the implementation of such programs. The study was designed as a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. Between January and March 2011, the survey was conducted in the Namibian truck transport sector in six companies of different sizes. The participants were selected randomly from the workforce. Data collection was based on a KAB questionnaire. The range of correct answers to the survey concerning the knowledge of HIV transmission was 67-95%. Twenty percent of the employees had never been tested for HIV. Additionally, risky sexual behaviors were quite prevalent and included having multiple concurrent partners and the use of sex for incentives. This study revealed that drivers and laborers were especially at risk for such behaviors. The employees of companies with established WPPs were tested for HIV more often than those of companies with new WPPs; however, aside from this difference, only minor differences were observed between the two groups. The findings of this study highlight the need for on-going HIV information and prevention campaigns that focus on the special needs of mobile and low-income workers. WPPs should be tailored accordingly and shift their focus to more practical approaches, such as voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), to increase their effectiveness.
There is only limited data available on the utilization of gynecological services in Germany. Based on data from the German Health Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) of the Robert Koch Institute, a survey carried out across all of Germany, this study aimed to examine the utilization of gynecological services by girls in Germany. Data from the KiGGS Wave 1 survey (2009 - 2012) was used to analyze the factors which affect utilization. The KiGGS baseline study (2003 - 2006) was used to analyze trends. The database consisted of a subsample from the KiGGS Wave 1 survey (n = 2575), the initial follow-up survey conducted by telephone after the baseline study. Data are shown as prevalence and mean with 95% confidence intervals. Correlations with selected influencing factors were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models. Differences between study populations were considered significant if p < 0.05. At the time of the KiGGS Wave 1 survey, 53.9% of girls aged 14 to 17 years had visited a gynecologist at least once. This percentage increased significantly with each additional year of life. For 61.9% of 17-year-old girls who had previously visited a gynecologist at least once, the first visit to a gynecologist occurred at the age of 15 or 16 years. Growing up with siblings was associated with a lower prevalence of utilization, while middle socioeconomic status, risky alcohol consumption and daily consumption of tobacco, and the utilization of general medical services were associated with a higher 12-month prevalence for the utilization of gynecological services. The utilization of gynecological services has increased significantly compared to the KiGGS baseline survey. Among girls there is a high need for information on issues of sexual health. Gynecologists are important but they are not the only port of call. Information needs should be covered as part of a coordinated approach which includes the involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Initiatives such as the WHO Action Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health and its recommendations should be incorporated.
Background Health-related data are collected from a variety of sources for different purposes, including secondary use for population health monitoring (HM) and health system performance assessment (HSPA). Most of these data sources are not included in databases of international organizations (e.g., WHO, OECD, Eurostat), limiting their use for research activities and policy making. This study aims at identifying and describing collection methods, quality assessment procedures, availability and accessibility of health data across EU Member States (MS) for HM and HSPA. Methods A structured questionnaire was developed and administered through an online platform to partners of the InfAct consortium form EU MS to investigate data collections applied in HM and HSPA projects, as well as their methods and procedures. A descriptive analysis of the questionnaire results was performed. Results Information on 91 projects from 18 EU MS was collected. In these projects, data were mainly collected through administrative sources, population health interview or health examination surveys and from electronic medical records. Tools and methods used for data collection were mostly mandatory reports, self-administered questionnaires, or record linkage of various data sources. One-third of the projects shared data with EU research networks and less than one-third performed quality assessment of their data collection procedures using international standardized criteria. Macrodata were accessible via open access and reusable in 22 projects. Microdata were accessible upon specific request and reusable in 15 projects based on data usage licenses. Metadata was available for the majority of the projects, but followed reporting standards only in 29 projects. Overall, compliance to FAIR Data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) was not optimal across the EU projects. Conclusions Data collection and exchange procedures differ across EU MS and research data are not always available, accessible, comparable or reusable for further research and evidence-based policy making. There is a need for an EU-level health information infrastructure and governance to promote and facilitate sharing and dissemination of standardized and comparable health data, following FAIR Data principles, across the EU.
Background Health reporting should deliver up-to-date data and information on the population's health status, its determinants and on national (or regional) healthcare services. Establishing an information or discussion base for health policy is an important objective ('data for action'), but health reporting also addresses other target groups like scientists, the media or the general public. Depending on the needs and competencies of the respective target groups, requirements for health reporting formats will differ. At the same time, heterogeneity of health reporting practices in Member States causes, next to occasional language barriers, difficulties in facilitating access to EU-comparable information. To allow for alignment and identification of good practices, our study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the health reporting formats in the EU. Methods A web-based desk research of health reporting formats and their target groups was conducted among EU Member States and associated InfAct partner countries. Good practice examples were identified on the basis of quality criteria derived from 'Good Practice in Health Reporting' for Germany and the Eva PHR (Evaluation of National and Regional Public Health Reports) project. Based on the findings of the desk research, a guidance document for health reports will be drafted in close cooperation with InfAct partner countries. Results The guidance should accommodate the heterogeneity of reporting practices at EU level while defining desirable and feasible good practice standards. Although the focus is on public health reports, recommendations for other formats of health reporting will also be included. It will facilitate the preparation, dissemination and access to EU-comparable and high-quality health information. Conclusions The guidance is expected to be a useful tool for making health information adequately available to the targeted groups while reducing inequalities in health reporting across the EU.
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