844. Engagement in HIV Care as an Avenue to Primary Care in Rural South Africa: Results from the Vukuzazi Population Health Platform

BACKGROUND: The healthcare infrastructure developed in response to the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been proposed as a model to respond to the emerging noncommunicable disease (NCD) burden in the region. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of such a strategy is equivocal. METHODS: We conducted a population-wide health screening among adults ≥15 years within a demographic and health surveillance site (DHSS) in rural South Africa. We collected blood pressure (BP), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), HIV disease indicators, and healthcare utilization data. We defined hypertension (HTN) as BP ≥140/90mmHg or use of antihypertensive medication in the past 2 weeks, and diabetes (DM) as HbA1c ≥6.5% or use of hypoglycemic medication in the past two weeks. Cascade of care indicators included: (1) awareness of NCD diagnosis, (2) seeing a provider within the past 6 months; (3) reported use of medication; and (4) disease control, defined as BP <140/90 mmHg or HbA1c <6.5%. We fit regression models to NCD care indicators between people with HIV on ART (PWHA) and HIV negatives. To make population-level estimates, we used inverse probability sampling weights derived from sex- and age-adjusted regression models drawn from the entire DHSS population. RESULTS: Of 7,992 individuals, 5,911 (74.2%) were HIV-negative and 2,080 (25.8%) were PWHA (Table 1). PWHA had lower prevalence of both DM (6.8% vs. 10.4%) and HTN (18.0% vs. 24.8%). In multivariable models, linkage to HIV care was associated with improved HTN care cascade indicators, but not DM indicators (Figure 1). PWHA had lower systolic BP and HbA1c than HIV negatives (Figures 2 and 3). CONCLUSION: Linkage to ART programs may be associated with better HTN but not DM care in rural South Africa. Future work should explore how to translate success in ART programs to other NCDs, and for HIV-negative individuals. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported Disclosures.