Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Starting in late 2019, the coronavirus "SARS-CoV-2", which causes the disease Covid-19, spread rapidly and extensively. Although many have speculated that prior experience with infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, or SARS would better prepare populatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292378&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797315861023817728 |
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| author | Philip Anglewicz Sneha Lamba Iliana Kohler James Mwera Andrew Zulu Hans-Peter Kohler |
| author_facet | Philip Anglewicz Sneha Lamba Iliana Kohler James Mwera Andrew Zulu Hans-Peter Kohler |
| author_sort | Philip Anglewicz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Introduction</h4>Starting in late 2019, the coronavirus "SARS-CoV-2", which causes the disease Covid-19, spread rapidly and extensively. Although many have speculated that prior experience with infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, or SARS would better prepare populations in sub-Saharan Africa for COVID-19, this has not been formally tested, primarily due to data limitations.<h4>Methods</h4>We use longitudinal panel data from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH, waves 2006, 2008, and 2020) to examine the association between exposure to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and perceptions of, and behavioral response to, the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured exposure to HIV infection through perceived prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the community, worry about HIV infection, perceived likelihood of HIV infection, and actual HIV status; and the experience of HIV/AIDS-related mortality through self-reports of knowing members of the community and extended family who died from AIDS (measured in 2006 or 2008). Our outcome measures were perceptions of COVID-19 presence in the community, perceptions of individual vulnerability to COVID-19, and prevention strategies to avoid COVID-19 collected through phone-interviews in 2020.<h4>Results</h4>Based on our data analysis using multivariable regression models, we found that the experience of HIV-related mortality was positively associated with perceptions of COVID-19 prevalence in the community and preventive behaviors for COVID-19. However, perceived vulnerability to HIV-AIDS infection and actual HIV positive status 10-years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic are generally not associated with COVID-19 perceptions and behaviors.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Our results suggest that COVID-19-related behaviors are impacted more by experience of AIDS mortality instead of HIV/AIDS risk perceptions, and that individuals may be correctly viewing HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 transmission as distinct disease processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:09:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-955099190cb848d1b3187bcba90f292a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:09:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-955099190cb848d1b3187bcba90f292a2024-02-13T05:34:28ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-011810e029237810.1371/journal.pone.0292378Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi.Philip AnglewiczSneha LambaIliana KohlerJames MweraAndrew ZuluHans-Peter Kohler<h4>Introduction</h4>Starting in late 2019, the coronavirus "SARS-CoV-2", which causes the disease Covid-19, spread rapidly and extensively. Although many have speculated that prior experience with infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, or SARS would better prepare populations in sub-Saharan Africa for COVID-19, this has not been formally tested, primarily due to data limitations.<h4>Methods</h4>We use longitudinal panel data from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH, waves 2006, 2008, and 2020) to examine the association between exposure to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and perceptions of, and behavioral response to, the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured exposure to HIV infection through perceived prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the community, worry about HIV infection, perceived likelihood of HIV infection, and actual HIV status; and the experience of HIV/AIDS-related mortality through self-reports of knowing members of the community and extended family who died from AIDS (measured in 2006 or 2008). Our outcome measures were perceptions of COVID-19 presence in the community, perceptions of individual vulnerability to COVID-19, and prevention strategies to avoid COVID-19 collected through phone-interviews in 2020.<h4>Results</h4>Based on our data analysis using multivariable regression models, we found that the experience of HIV-related mortality was positively associated with perceptions of COVID-19 prevalence in the community and preventive behaviors for COVID-19. However, perceived vulnerability to HIV-AIDS infection and actual HIV positive status 10-years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic are generally not associated with COVID-19 perceptions and behaviors.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Our results suggest that COVID-19-related behaviors are impacted more by experience of AIDS mortality instead of HIV/AIDS risk perceptions, and that individuals may be correctly viewing HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 transmission as distinct disease processes.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292378&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Philip Anglewicz Sneha Lamba Iliana Kohler James Mwera Andrew Zulu Hans-Peter Kohler Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. PLoS ONE |
| title | Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. |
| title_full | Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. |
| title_fullStr | Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. |
| title_short | Is experience of the HIV/AIDS epidemic associated with responses to COVID-19? Evidence from the Rural Malawi. |
| title_sort | is experience of the hiv aids epidemic associated with responses to covid 19 evidence from the rural malawi |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292378&type=printable |
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