Community-based interventions for preventing diarrhoea in people living with HIV in sub-Sahara Africa: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: High prevalence rates of people living with HIV (PLHIV) are more predominant in sub-Saharan Africa compared to any region globally. Nonetheless, many people in the region have little access to safe water and live in poor sanitation environment. This region is, therefore, faced with a challenge in protecting PLHIV from infectious diseases that are transmitted through unhygienic conditions. AIM: This systematic review was conducted to identify effective community-based interventions for the prevention of diarrhoea among PLHIV in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Studies included in this systematic review were sought from PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, DOAJ, Web of science, WHO Global Index Medicus Library, Cochrane and ProQuest (GeoRef). Articles were appraised using MMAT scale. RESULTS: From a search finding of 3,849 articles, only nine papers whose participants were people living with HIV and had incidence or prevalence of diarrhoea as an outcome met our inclusion criteria. Community-based interventions such as water treatment and safe storage were associated with 20%–53% reduction in diarrhoea episodes among PLHIV. The review has also demonstrated that the impact of hand hygiene and health education on the prevention of diarrhoeal infections is not adequately assessed. CONCLUSION: Future studies are, therefore, warranted to assess the effect of hand hygiene and health education interventions on prevention and reduction of diarrhoea in PLHIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.