Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 064 (ConfProc7) | Published: 09 Jul 2026
Janice Maubi Browny1,&, Amina Masawudu1, Theodora Yayra Brinsley1, Felix Mensah2, Luchuo Engelbert Bain3, Setor Kofi Sorkpor4, Hubert Amu5
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana, 2Volta Regional Hospital, Public Health Antiretroviral Unit, Hohoe, Ghana, 3Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, 4College of Nursing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 5Department of Population and Behavioural Sciences, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana.
&Corresponding author: Janice Browny, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana, Email: brownyjanice121@gmail.com
Received: 09 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 09 Jul 2026
Domain: Non=communicable Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: HIV, hypertension, diabetes, comorbidities, treatment adherence, Hohoe
©Janice Maubi Browny et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Janice Maubi Browny et al. Prevalence, screening practices, and adherence to diabetes and hypertension treatment among people living with HIV in the Hohoe Municipality. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):064. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0064
People living with HIV (PLWH) are increasingly at risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly diabetes and hypertension, due to the immunosuppressive effect of the virus. These comorbidities significantly complicate the clinical management of HIV and place additional strain on healthcare systems, especially in low-resource settings like Ghana. We examined the prevalence, screening practices, and treatment adherence for diabetes and hypertension among PLWH in the Hohoe Municipality.
This was a concurrent mixed-methods study conducted among 292 PLWH receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) at the Volta Regional Hospital using a structured questionnaire deployed using Kobo Toolbox. Data collected were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics using STATA v17.0. Statistical significance was considered at p<0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%.
The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was 23.0% and 10.3% respectively. Older PLWH (ages 50-59 years) were significantly more likely to have hypertension (aOR=2.43, 95% CI=0.38–5.88, p=0.012) compared with younger patients (ages 20-29 years). Individuals who had tertiary education were associated with an increased likelihood of developing diabetes (aOR=14.61, 95% CI=1.04-204.78, p=0.047). All participants (100%) have ever been screened for hypertension, while 37.7% of participants had been screened for diabetes. Medication adherence was 88.1% for hypertension and 95.0% for diabetes. However, adherence to follow-up appointments was lower for hypertension (82.3%) and diabetes (85.0%).
The high prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among PLWH presents significant public health challenges. Addressing these challenges requires enhancing patient education, strengthening health systems, and improving access to comprehensive care. These actions are essential for reducing the burden of comorbidities and advancing progress toward SDGs 3.3 and 3.4, which aim to end HIV/AIDS epidemics and reduce premature mortality from NCDs.
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