Translating Evidence into Public Health Practice

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the third leading cause of deaths in Nigeria. Lack of clear understanding of where new infections are occurring may imply that state HIV prevention programme are not driven by evidence. Several evidences are available but not accessible and in other cases, accessible but not applied in planning and designing context-specific HIV interventions. This has led to a reversal or slow pace of controlling the epidemic in Nigeria for the past decades. A retrospective analysis of health data was collated and analyzed. Results were compared with established baseline in project interventions to determine if this available information were considered by policy makers, health planners and programme designers as HIV interventions are developed for states and at national level. Findings reveals that most states have used data to tailor-guide interventions leading to significant changes in behavior, uptake of HIV services and corresponding decline in HIV prevalence.

Keywords: evidence-informed interventions, planning, HIV control