Prevalence of self-reported diabetes risk factors and integration of diabetes screening and referral at two urban HIV care and treatment clinics in Zambia

PLoS One. 2022 Sep 26;17(9):e0275203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275203. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

People living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are living longer and are at risk of HIV co-morbidities including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in low-resource settings. However, the evidence base for effectively integrating HIV and NCD care is limited. The Chronic Health Care (CHC) checklist, designed to screen for multiple NCDs including a 6-item diabetes self-report screener, was implemented at two PEPFAR-supported HIV clinics in Kabwe and Kitwe, Zambia. Study objectives were to describe the HIV care and treatment population and their self-reported diabetes-related symptoms, and to evaluate provider-initiated screening and referral post-training on the CHC checklist. This cross-sectional study enrolled 435 adults receiving combination ART services. Clinic exit interviews revealed 46% self-reported at least one potential symptom, and 6% self-reported three or more symptoms to the study team, indicating risk for diabetes and need for further diagnostic testing. In comparison, only 8% of all participants reported being appropriately screened for diabetes by their health provider, with less than 1% referred for further testing. This missed opportunity for screening and referral indicates that HIV-NCD integration efforts need more fully resourced and multi-pronged approaches in order to ensure that PLWH who are already accessing ART receive the comprehensive, holistic care they need.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus* / diagnosis
  • Diabetes Mellitus* / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections* / diagnosis
  • HIV Infections* / drug therapy
  • HIV Infections* / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Noncommunicable Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Referral and Consultation
  • Risk Factors
  • Self Report
  • Zambia / epidemiology

Grants and funding

All of the work was funded by a Catalyst Grant from the FHI Foundation including some salary support for Baumgartner and Nyambe. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.