Demographic, Viral Load, and Alcohol Risk-Level Characteristics Among Justice-Involved People Living With HIV in Zambia
| Characteristics | No. (%) (N=50) |
|---|---|
| Sex and age | |
| Male | 40 (80) |
| Female | 10 (20) |
| Age, median (range), years | 34.1 (20–54) |
| Highest education level completed | |
| No education | 1 (2) |
| Primary school | 27 (54) |
| Secondary school | 21 (42) |
| Higher than secondary school | 1 (2) |
| Enrollment site | |
| Lusaka Central Correctional Facility | 33 (66) |
| Kabwe Correctional Complex | 14 (28) |
| Mwembeshi Correctional Facility | 3 (6) |
| History of prior incarceration | 7 (14) |
| Reason for release | |
| Sentence completed | 46 (92) |
| Paroled | 3 (6) |
| Released from court (i.e., remandee) | 1 (2) |
| Viral load status change (from pre- to post-release)a | |
| Unchanged “undetectable” or “suppressed” (favorable) status | 19 (38) |
| Unchanged “uncontrolled” (unfavorable) status | 7 (14) |
| Viral load status improved | 6 (12) |
| Viral load status deteriorated | 11 (22) |
| Viral load status unknown (i.e., LTFU) | 7 (14) |
| Post-release alcohol use (for participants who completed a post-release survey, n=27) | |
| Risk level for alcohol use disorderb | |
| Low risk | 21 (78) |
| Hazardous or harmful alcohol use | 6 (22) |
| Moderate-to-severe alcohol use | 1 (4) |
Abbreviations: AUD, alcohol use disorder; AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; LTFU, lost to follow-up; WHO, World Health Organization.
↵a HIV viral load status categories include: undetectable (<20 copies/ml); suppressed (20–999 copies/ml); uncontrolled (≥1,000 copies/ml).
↵b Risk level for AUD determined from the WHO AUDIT tool with the following scores (on scale from 0 to 40) for each category: low risk (1–7); hazardous or harmful (8–14); moderate-to-severe (≥15).