Bikila Balis

Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Correspondence: Bikila Balis
School of Nursing, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
Tel +251 921788619
Email bik.balis2008@gmail.com

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus infection has been one of the top health-related challenges for the past four decades. Ethiopia is extremely infected by HIV pandemic every year, whereby 22,300 people were newly infected and 690,000 were living with HIV at the end of 2018. Sexual behavior of HIV positive individuals visiting treatment clinics is a neglected issue. Nonetheless, it has been a significant way of HIV transmission to serodiscordant partners.
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was used on a sample of 432 women attending treatment clinics in west Oromia from February 26 to March 26, 2019. Systematic sampling was used to select the study participants. A pretested and structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. The data were coded, entered, cleaned and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to present frequency distributions. Variables with P-value < 0.25 during bivariate analysis were entered into multiple logistic regression models to control for all possible confounders. Odds ratio along with 95% CI were estimated to measure the strength of the association. Level of statistical significance was declared at a p-value less than 0.05.
Results: Out of total respondents, 240 (56.9%), 95% CI: (52.1– 61.6%) were involved in risky sexual practices in the prior 12 months. Urban residence [AOR: 3.24, (95% CI: (1.52, 6.89)], those with no formal education [AOR: 2.77, (95% CI: (1.18, 6.54)], being on ART for > 2years [AOR: 2.74, (95% CI: (1.13, 6.65)] and CD4 count ≥ 200 cells/mm³ [AOR: 3.20, (95% CI: (1.50, 6.82)] were factors significantly associated with risky sexual practice.
Conclusion: A considerable number of respondents were involved in risky sexual practices 240 (56.9%) due to being rural residence, not attending formal education, being on ART for > 2 years and CD4 count ≥ 200 cells/mm³.

Keywords: women, HIV/AIDS, risky sexual practices, Oromia, Ethiopia

The post Risky Sexual Practice and Associated Factors Among Women Living with HIV/AIDS Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy at a PMTCT Clinic in Western Oromia, Ethiopia appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Posted By Staff Writer on Nov 2, 2020

The Seton Hall softball team held a breast cancer awareness month-themed practice in mid-October, bringing attention to the disease through the team’s social media pages.

The idea for the event was inspired by the connections some of the players have to people with the disease, head coach Paige Smith said.

“Women, in general, need to raise awareness because statistics are showing that we’re pretty likely to be touched by it in some way whether personal or in our close circle,” Smith said.

Because breast cancer has hit close to home for many softball players, including sophomore Taylor Soanes, the team felt it was necessary to put together this practice.

“It was very important to me that we did this practice because my mom has been affected so it was close to my heart and I liked seeing that my teammates had my back on something that I believe in and I know they believe in as well,” Soanes said.

Throughout the years, the team has always found ways to donate and raise awareness for this disease.

The idea to host this practice in pink shirts originally came from something known as the Think Pink Game that the team has done in the past, Smith said. The players wore pink shirts without numbers and gave their opponents the opportunity to do so as well.

In years past, usually during the month of October, the recreation center has also done spin classes in which the proceeds were donated to breast cancer.

Smith said she would cancel plans that the team had during that week and require them to sign up for a class to make sure her team was putting resources behind causes they believe in.

Every October, the team finds a cause to support, and most of the time it is breast cancer, Smith said.

She said she felt that the pandemic has been a good time to raise awareness for this disease because it helps her team focus on how they can uplift others.

“I think anything to take distraction off the current state of the world is good, and if you can put that energy into something that is going to lift other people, that is a time spent well,” Smith said.

The practice has also been widely promoted on social media by the team, particularly on Twitter and Instagram, because they felt it was a way to show their support and reach out to people who have been affected.

“Support from family and friends is the biggest thing when you’re going through times like this and you have cancer because it helps you through the recovery process and the battle of it,” Soanes said.

One thing that Smith said she hopes her athletes took away from the practice is that sport is always bigger than the player, especially with the absence of games.

If another awareness event comes about, Soanes said that she hopes her team has the same expectations of going all out and wants to continue planning more events like this.

The post Softball looks to uplift spirits with breast cancer awareness practice appeared first on MyMedicPlus.