CLINICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AND OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AT KAJJANSI HEALTH CENTRE IV. A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY
Keywords:
Clinical and Socio-demographic factors, Obesity in PLWH, Kajjansi Health Centre IVAbstract
Background
Overweight and obesity are predominant health distresses among people living with HIV (PLWH), impacting both their quality of life and treatment outcomes. The study aimed to determine the clinical factors associated with overweight/obesity and the relationship between socio-demographic factors and overweight/obesity among PLWH at Kajjansi Health Centre IV.
Methodology
A descriptive cross-sectional study with a mixed-methods approach was conducted on 50 PLWH. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and medical record reviews. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between various factors and overweight/obesity status.
Results
On clinical factors, dyslipidemia demonstrated an inverse relationship with overweight/obesity status, strengthening over time (baseline: χ² = 7.031, p = 0.008; end line: χ² = 12.500, p < 0.001). BMI showed increasingly strong positive correlations with metabolic markers from baseline to end line. Among socio-demographic factors, only gender emerged as a significant predictor of BMI at the end line (B = 12.116, p = 0.012), with females showing higher BMI.
Conclusion
Notably, dyslipidemia showed an unexpected inverse association with obesity, strengthening over time, while BMI increasingly correlated with metabolic markers. Gender emerged as the only significant socio-demographic predictor of BMI at the end line.
Recommendation
There should be a need for comprehensive, gender-sensitive weight management approaches as well as the importance of regular metabolic monitoring for all HIV patients and suggest future longitudinal research to better understand these temporal dynamics and develop targeted interventions.
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