Epidemiological and spatiotemporal analyses of HIV/AIDS prevalence among older adults in Sichuan, China between 2008 and 2019: A population-based study

Abstract

To describe epidemiological trends and spatial distributions of HIV/AIDS among older adults (aged !50) in Sichuan Province, China during 2008-19, and provide scientific reference for HIV/AIDS prevention, intervention and treatment. Methods: Data on HIV/AIDS cases reported in 2008-19 was extracted from the Case Report System. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to determine epidemic trends. Spatial autocorrelation and spacetime analysis were conducted with ArcGIS10.6 and ArcGIS Pro2.4, respectively. Results: A total of 77 854 HIV/AIDS cases among older adults were included in the study. Newly reported cases increased from 320 in 2008 to 22 189 in 2019, and the reported incidence rate (number of new reported cases/older adult population) rose from 0.001% to 0.077%. Infections through heterosexual transmission increased from 65.3% to 98.2% of total cases in older adults in this period. Spatial analysis at the county-level showed significant clustering throughout Sichuan, with the main hot spots concentrated in the southeast. Spatiotemporal analysis indicated that most of the southeastern counties/districts were Consecutive Hot Spots. Conclusions: Older adults have become a key population in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sichuan; comprehensive prevention and intervention measures targeted to older adults are urgently needed to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The related factors of new HIV infection among older men in Sichuan, China: a case–control study

“…Heterosexual transmission was a dominant way of HIV transmission among older men, and many studies have indicated the paramount transmission mode was commercial heterosexual contact [ 15 , 17 , 31 , 32 ]. It is estimated that there are 4 million to 10 million FSWs in China, and the HIV infection rate is six times higher than that of the general population, which was an important influencing factor for the infection of clients [ 33 ].…”

“…Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is a concrete manifestation of self-protection awareness in AIDS prevention. Currently, the detection of HIV/AIDS cases in older men in Sichuan Province is mainly passively diagnosed in general hospitals, and the proportion of VCT is relatively low [ 17 ]. It is suggested that it is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education of AIDS knowledge and related risk behaviours among older adults, create a good atmosphere for AIDS prevention and control, and improve the awareness of active HIV testing.…”

“…Sichuan Province is located in southwestern China and has the largest number of HIV-infected people in China, with more than 160 000 HIV/AIDS cases at the end of 2019 [ 17 ]. Similar to most parts of China, newly reported HIV-infected persons aged 50 years and over increased significantly, and the number increased more than 69-fold from 320 in 2008 to 22 189 in 2019, and the proportion rose from 4.1% to 59.2% [ 17 ]. The large number and high proportion of HIV infections among older adults pose considerable challenges to public health in Sichuan.…”

“…To better help policymakers identify and address their specific needs for HIV prevention among older adults, it is particularly urgent to carry out studies on the related factors of new HIV infection in older adults. In addition, between 2008 and 2019, 73.0% of newly reported HIV infections among older adults in Sichuan Province were males [ 17 ], and the HIV-infected males may lead to HIV transmission between spouses. Therefore, we conducted the present case–control study among older men, to research the association between potential factors and new HIV infection.…”

Literature Review: Use of Smartphones in Education for HIV/AIDS Patients

“…Some of the applications used are paid and some are free (Cho et al, 2019). The use of HIV/AIDS service applications increases knowledge and adherence to ARV treatment in HIV/AIDS patients (Yuan et al, 2021).…”