Sociodemographic and Anthropometric Profile of People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Starting Treatment in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Context: Since the transition to Dolutegravir (DTG) in 2019, several studies have been documented on People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and particularly in Kinshasa. Nevertheless, no study was found on the socio-demographic and anthropometric profile of PLHIV who start treatment in Kinshasa after 2019. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the Sociodemographic and Anthropometric profile of People Living with HIV starting AntiRetroViral treatment in Kinshasa in the Dolutegravir era. Method: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study to determine the socio-demographic and anthropometric profile of PLHIV starting ARV treatment in HIV Outpatient Treatment Centers (OTC) in Kinshasa. 13 OTCs were included in the study based on their expertise in caring for PLHIV and their accessibility. Socio-demographic and anthropometric data were recorded on worksheets previously tested by the team of investigators. The parameters of interest followed for the present study were: age, sex, religion, residence, level of study, marital status, occupation, economic class, height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), etc. Results: 119 patients were included in this study in accordance with the inclusion criteria; 67 (56.3%) are female. The mean age of the patients included in 39.87 ± 12.36 years. The most represented age group is that of 36 to 45 years with 37 patients (31.9%). The average height is 1.66 ± 0.08 meters. The average weight of the patients on D0 is 56.41 ± 13.30 kg. The average BMI value through work is 21.54 ± 5.17 kg/m2. The mean temperature of the patients at inclusion was 36.69°C ± 0.68°C. The majority of patients (46.1%) were married, followed by a single (33.0%), widowed (13.9%) and divorced (7.0%). Protestants were more numerous (70.7%) in the study population. More than three-fifths of patients (66.7%) have secondary education. Most of the patients (29.4%) in the study work in the informal sector. Conclusion: The majority of patients are female in the age group of 36 to 45 years, having an average height and weight of 1.66 ± 0.08 meters and 56.41 ± 13.30 kg respectively, with an average BMI of 21.54 ± 5.17 kg/m2. Almost half are married patients. A large part is Protestant, has a secondary education, and works in the informal sector.