Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population by recruitment site/ laboratory and overall
| Both facilities combined | Nhlangano (LAB-1)a | Lobamba (LAB-2)a | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 364 | 198 (54.4) | 166 (45.4) | |
| Age; median (IQR), years | 36 (30–44.5) | 39 (33–48) | 32.5 (27–39) | < 0.01 |
| Gender and pregnancy status (missing = 7) | < 0.01 | |||
| Men | 111 (31.1) | 64 (32.5) | 47 (29.4) | |
| Non-pregnant women | 231 (64.7) | 132 (67.0) | 99 (61.9) | |
| Pregnant women | 15 (4.2) | 1 (0.5) | 14 (8.8) | |
| Reason for VL test | < 0.01 | |||
| Pre-ART | 59 (16.2) | 4 (2.0) | 55 (33.1) | |
| ART | 305 (83.8) | 194 (98.0) | 111 (66.9) | |
| Time on ART; median (IQR), years | 5.0 (2.0–7.5) | 6.2 (3.3–8.3) | 2.9 (1.8–5.4) | < 0.01 |
| VL values on the reference method; log10 copies/mL | < 0.01 | |||
| < 1.3 | 236 (64.8) | 150 (75.8) | 86 (51.8) | |
| 1.3–< 3.0 | 58 (15.9) | 37 (18.7) | 21 (12.7) | |
| 3.0–< 4.0 | 17 (4.7) | 5 (2.5) | 12 (7.2) | |
| ≥ 4.0 | 53 (14.6) | 6 (3.0) | 47 (28.3) |
ART Antiretroviral therapy, IQR Interquartile range, VL Viral load
aVL samples obtained in Nhlangano Health Centre were tested at LAB-1 (Nhlangano), and VL samples obtained in Lobamba Clinic were tested at LAB-2 (Mbabane)