General and Oral Health Related Behaviors among HIV Positive and the Background Adult Tanzanian Population

Objectives: To assess the general and oral health related behaviors among HIV positive adults and the background population. Methods: A case-control study utilizing a structured questionnaire to collect data. Cross tabulations and Chisquare statistics were conducted for bivariate analyses and simple logistic regression was used for multivariate analyses Results: 898 individuals aged 15-80 years participated in the study of whom 66.8% were females. Slightly more than half (51.2%) self-reported to be living with HIV/AIDS. Of the health behaviors investigated, positive behaviors frequently reported were: hand washing, eating fresh fruits, eating green vegetables, infrequent snacking or consumption of sweetened soft drinks, not smoking or consuming alcohol. Behaviors seldom reported were; tooth brushing (twice a day), use of fluoride toothpaste and regular dental visits. The OR for reporting hand washing before eating among people living with HIV/AIDS was 0.5 (0.3, 0.9). People living with HIV/AIDS had significantly higher odds for daily eating of fresh fruits and vegetables, OR 2.2 (1.6, 3.1) and 1.7 (1.2, 2.3), respectively. They were as well less likely to smoke and consume alcohol than the comparative general population. They were significantly less likely to use sweetened soft drinks (OR 0.6 CI (0.4, 0.8) but more likely than the general population. to have not used fluoridated toothpaste. Conclusion: From the findings of this study, we conclude that most HIV positive individuals had better general health behaviors than the background population but only a few (18%) had good oral health behaviors (using fluoridated toothpaste and dental visit due to oral problem). HIV positive individuals should be encouraged to maintain positive health behaviors and be facilitated to practice the positive behaviors currently reported by few.