Prevalence of HIV testing and associated factors among young adolescents in Eswatini: a secondary data analysis.

BACKGROUND: HIV testing is a crucial starting point for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest global HIV/AIDS prevalence and mortality, yet HIV testing remains sub-optimal. Thus, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of HIV testing and associated factors among young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years in Eswatini, a country with the highest HIV prevalence in the world. METHODS: Data were obtained from Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey between 2016 and 2017 (SHIMS 2), an internationally supported national survey aimed at combating HIV/AIDS. A total of 739 young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years were selected for the final analysis after deleting cases with missing values for the key variables. The effects of demographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, HIV risk perception, belief about HIV testing, perceived service accessibility, and parent-child sexual and reproductive health communication on lifetime HIV testing as an outcome variable, were explored using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Only 52.0% of young adolescents reported "ever tested" for HIV in their lifetime. Age (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73-0.90), residence (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.43-0.74), and perceived service accessibility (OR = 3.10, (95% CI = 1.47-6.56) were identified as important factors associated with receiving HIV testing among young adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: A low rate of HIV testing was identified among young adolescents in Eswatini compared to the intended global goal of HIV testing coverage. Our findings suggested the importance of young adolescent-friendly educational and environmental interventions needed to improve the prevalence of HIV testing by reducing misperceptions about the risk of HIV and alleviating environmental constraints to access to HIV services.

Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of the Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a multidimensional symptom cluster induced by neurotoxic chemotherapy agents among patients with cancer. A well-developed tool for assessing CIPN can help with the early detection and timely management of patients. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT) in Korean women with breast cancer who were treated with chemotherapy. METHODS: A psychometric analysis of the Korean version of CIPNAT was conducted with 207 patients with breast cancer who were treated with chemotherapy. Patients were assessed using the CIPNAT and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy-20 (CIPN-20). Analyses of internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity (based on structural and discriminant validity testing) were performed to evaluate the psychometric properties. RESULTS: The Korean version of the CIPNAT had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95; the item-total correlation coefficients ranged 0.34-0.76). The CIPNAT and CIPN-20 were moderately correlated (r = .67). Confirmatory factor analyses showed a four-factor structural model with acceptable model fit indices. Discriminant validity was supported by differences between individuals treated with and without taxane-based chemotherapy (p < .001). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The Korean version of the CIPNAT was a valid and reliable screening tool for identification of CIPN symptoms and functional interference in Korean women who received chemotherapy for breast cancer. The instrument can be useful for the timely and routine assessment of CIPN symptoms and functional limitations of patients with cancer by oncology nurses.

Efficacy and safety of auricular acupressure for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among patients with breast cancer: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a frequently-reported distress symptom in breast carcinoma patients under chemotherapy. Although previous studies emphasized lack of ideal neuroprotective or therapeutic agents for CIPN, there are no strongly recommended treatments. Nevertheless, auricular acupressure (AA) is a novel remedy for controlling symptoms in many healthcare settings. However, therapeutic effects of AA among patients with CIPN have not yet been elucidated fully. Therefore, we designed a trial to examine the effectiveness and safety of AA in breast cancer patients. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will assess 120 breast cancer survivors. After enrollment, the participants will be stratified depending on administration of medications prescribed for CIPN treatment, and then assigned randomly to the experimental or control groups in an allocation ratio of 1:1. For experimental groups, AA will be applied on four points, namely, shemen, liver, spleen, and finger/toe, while for the control groups, sham AA will be exerted on other four points that are remote from the treatment points and unrelated to neuropathic symptoms. All participants will undergo the same acupressure procedure, for two minutes each time, thrice daily for 3 weeks, and CIPN symptoms and health-related quality of life will be assessed by a blinded research assistant and a physician before, during, immediately after, and 4 weeks after AA. Occurrence, type, and severity of safety issues will be routinely monitored to confirm the non-toxic nature of AA. Repeated measures analysis of variance will be used to examine the changing pattern of CIPN symptoms and based on sensitivity analysis. DISCUSSION: It is expected that the rationale and design of this protocol will offer knowledge regarding a standardized process to guide current and future studies and accumulates clinical experiences in applying non-pharmacological intervention. The present trial is the first to examine the therapeutic effects of AA in breast cancer patients with CIPN. The findings of the study may provide convincing evidence regarding the effectiveness of CIPN symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRAION: Clinical Research Information Service, Republic of Korea, ID: KCT0004930. Registered retrospectively on April 14, 2020.

Impact of Cognitive Aging on Health-Related Quality of Life in Menopausal Women.

OBJECTIVES: Menopause is a well-known risk factor for accelerating cognitive aging in women. This study aimed to assess differences in cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to menopausal status to determine whether the menopause significantly affects the relationship between cognitive function and HRQOL. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional comparative study with a convenience sample of 178 Korean women including 89 naturally menopausal women (65 ± 10 years) and 89 non-menopausal women (45 ± 8 years) who met the eligibility criteria and completed neuropsychological tests and self-report questionnaires about their HRQOL, cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality. Multiple regression analyses were performed within and between groups according to menopausal status. RESULTS: Menopausal women had significantly worse scores on neuropsychological performance and HRQOL than non-menopausal women. A better neuropsychological performance (ß = 0.34) was solely associated with a better HRQOL in menopausal women, whilst socioeconomic variables were associated with HRQOL in non-menopausal women. CONCLUSION: Menopause is an important risk factor for HRQOL, and the association between cognition and HRQOL may differ according to menopausal status. When developing programs for target groups to improve daily functioning and HRQOL, healthcare professionals need to pay more attention to this relationship.