Cohort Profile Update: Africa Centre Demographic Information System (ACDIS) and population-based HIV survey

Abstract

The aim of ACDIS was to describe the demographic, social and health impacts of a rapidly progressing HIV epidemic in rural South Africa, and to monitor the impact of intervention strategies. An initial cohort profile was published in 2008 and described findings from the first 6 years of data collection. Households are contacted three times annually to record information on births, deaths and migration patterns of all household members, including non-residents. Resident members aged 15 years are invited to participate in an annual individual-level survey, which includes an interview on general health and sexual behaviour, and collection of a dried blood spot (DBS) for anonymized HIV testing. Geographic coordinates are available for each homestead, allowing spatial analysis. In 2017, the ACDIS area was expanded to 845 km 2 and renamed the Population Intervention Programme (PIP), with 140 000 individuals (20 000 households) in 2018, including the communities of a recent clusterrandomized trial (CRT) of HIV treatment (Figure