Dr. Enid Schatz’s HIV Risk Work in South Africa Published in PLOS One

Dr. Enid Schatz, Chair of the Department of Public Health, recently had a research article published titled Assessing the feasibility of a life history calendar to measure HIV risk and health in older South Africans.     

According to the abstract, life history calendars capture patterns of behavior over time, uncovering transitions and trajectories. Throughout this study, the participants created life history calendars that showed patterns of behavior over time in regards to the growing numbers of older persons living with HIV in southern Africa. Dr. Schatz and colleagues used an innovative Testing and Risk History Calendar (TRHC) and collected pilot data on older South Africans’ risk and HIV testing.

According to the abstract, the researchers found older persons were able to provide (1) reference points to facilitate recall over a 10-year period, (2) specifics about HIV tests during that decade, and (3) details that contextualize the testing data, such as living arrangements, relationships, and health status.

On a larger scale, the TRHC has potential to reveal pathways between sexual behavior, HIV testing and risk perception, and health at older ages.

Congratulations, Dr. Schatz. Read the study here.