Amanda Gabster

Amanda Gabster

PhD

About

56
Publications
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332
Citations

Publications

Publications (56)
Article
Full-text available
Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in adolescents worldwide. Vulnerability to STIs increases with risky sexual practices. This study described the sexual practices, estimated the prevalence of STIs, and identified correlates associated with STIs among participants, enrolled in public high schools, in the District of Panama...
Article
The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, an administratively autonomous Indigenous region in western Panama, is home to a significant population rural Indigenous people of Ngäbe and Buglé ethnicity. HIV prevalence in the Comarca is two times higher than the national average, and the great majority of cases are concentrated in young men. Yet, there is little data r...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives To determine the prevalence and risk factors of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) among school-going sexually experienced male and female adolescents in Panama. Methods We conducted two multisite cross-sectional studies using two-stage cluster sampling to select adolescents aged 14–19 years attending urban public high schools (URB) in...
Article
p> Objetivo: Describir la prevalencia y factores sociodemográficos relacionados con las creencias de contagio casual de VIH. Entender los factores que están asociados a estigmas y discriminación hacia compañeros que viven con el VIH en la población adolescente (14-19 años) en centros educativos de nivel media de áreas urbanas de Panamá. Método: Se...
Preprint
Full-text available
Objectives To describe changes in sexual behaviours, including virtual sex (sexting and cybersex), and access to STI&HIV testing and care during COVID-19 measures in Panama. Methods We conducted an online cross-sectional survey from August 8 to September 12, 2020, among adults (≥18 years) residing in Panama. Participants were recruited through soci...
Article
Full-text available
Background The prevalence of HIV in Panama is estimated to be 1.0%; only 71% of individuals on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were virally suppressed in 2022. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of suboptimal adherence (≥1 missed doses in previous four weeks) and limited retention in HIV care (≥1 missed HIV care appointments in previous 12...
Article
Full-text available
Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is a bacterium that causes one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. In Panama, the prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) among adolescents is 15.8%. However, no data describing circulating CT genotypes or evaluating molecular resistance are available. This study aims to determine...
Article
Full-text available
Introducción. Estudios cualitativos o etnográficos sobre el embarazo adolescente realizados en las últimas dos décadas en América Latina, centrados en las experiencias y el sentido dado a las mismas por las propias adolescentes, han realizado aportes relevantes a la comprensión del tema. La investigación de la que surge este texto se ubica en ese t...
Article
Full-text available
The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB), home to >200,000 Indigenous people, is one of the poorest regions in Panama. We describe transactional sex (TS) behaviours, normative beliefs and factors associated with TS among Indigenous adolescents(14-19years) in the CNB. We conducted a mixed-methods study in the CNB between January and November 2018, which includ...
Article
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Background Syphilis is a serious global public health challenge. Despite prior progress in syphilis control, incidence has been increasing in recent years. Syphilis is a common coinfection among people living with HIV (PLHIV). In Panama, few data describe syphilis prevalence among PLHIV. We describe syphilis antibody and high-titer (⩾1:8) active sy...
Article
Full-text available
El embarazo adolescente, como fenómeno social presente en el contexto panameño, constituye una preocupación generalizada. A pesar de ello, hasta ahora son pocos los estudios con enfoque clínico, epidemiológico y social que han realizado aportes para una comprensión profunda del tema en el país. Destaca la ausencia de estudios cualitativos que permi...
Article
Purpose of review This article reviews recently published research on sexual health challenges and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among migrant, immigrant and displaced people (MIDP) worldwide. We aimed to identify current evidence gaps regarding HIV/STI epidemiology, sexual health needs and interventions. Recent findings Incidence...
Article
Full-text available
Background Prevalence of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis is unknown among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Panama. Owing to the asymptomatic course and syndromic management of these infections, etiological diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance are often missed. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N...
Article
Full-text available
Background Unprecedented numbers of migrant people transiting through the Darién Gap at the Panama-Colombia border were recorded in 2021 and 2022. Data on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and service provision among migrant people in transit is generally extremely sparse. This study aimed to collect personal accounts of sexual behaviours...
Article
Intimate partner violence (IPV) causes substantial physical and psychological trauma. Restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and movement restrictions, may exacerbate IPV risk and reduce access to IPV support services. This cross-sectional study examines IPV during COVID-19 restrictions in 30 countries fro...
Article
Full-text available
Background Adolescent dating violence (ADV) can have lasting effects on youth's well-being and development. However, few studies in Latin America have described its prevalence and risk factors for having experienced ADV. Methods We conducted a multisite, cross-sectional study using two-stage cluster sampling among adolescents (14–19 years) attendi...
Article
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Background: The foot transit of migrant peoples originating from the Caribbean, South America, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa through the Darién Forest (DF) in Eastern Panamá towards North America has increased in recent years from approximately 30,000 people/year to >133,000 in 2021. In the DF, there is no food/housing provision nor healthcare acce...
Article
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Phoneutria depilata is considered Panama´s most relevant spider species due to its aggressivity and venom. In this article, we described a case of P. depilata bite in a woman from Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. The symptoms included severe pain, swelling in the bite site, palpitation of submandibular ganglia, abundant salivation, tachycardia, and...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Panama’s HIV epidemic is far from under control. One of the populations with the fastest-growing epidemic among the Indigenous peoples of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB). The CNB is an administratively autonomous Indigenous region in Western Panama that is home to over 200,000 individuals of Ngäbe and Buglé ethnicities. This population i...
Article
Full-text available
El parto adolescente por cohorte y su relación con factores sociodemográficos, en Panamá * Adolescent childbirth by cohort and its relationship with sociodemographic factors in Panama O parto adolescente por conjuntos e sua relação com fatores sociodemográficos, em Panamá
Article
Rapid rise of population migration is a defining feature of the 21st century due to the impact of climate change, political instability, and socioeconomic downturn. Over the last decade, an increasing number of migrant peoples travel across the Americas to reach the United States seeking asylum or cross the border undocumented in search of economic...
Presentation
Full-text available
Article
Background There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of COVID-19 disease. To address this gap, our team organized a multi-country, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium. Methods Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Sampling m...
Article
Full-text available
Background The world is currently unprepared to deal with the drastic increase in global migration. There is an urgent need to develop programs to protect the well-being and health of migrant peoples. Increased population movement is already evident throughout the Americas as exemplified by the rising number of migrant peoples who pass through the...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: The world is currently unprepared to deal with a the drastic increase in global migration. There is an urgent need to develop programs to protect the well being and health of migrant peoples. Increased population movement is already evident throughout the Americas as exemplified by the rising number of migrant peoples that pass through...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: To better understand sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial COVID-19 wave, we organized a multi-country cross-sectional survey. Methods: Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Primary outcomes included sexual behaviors, partner violence, and SRH service utilization, and we compared three mon...
Article
Objective To describe reported changes in sexual behaviours, including virtual sex (sexting and cybersex), and access to HIV/STI testing and care during COVID-19 measures in Panama. Methods We conducted an online cross-sectional survey from 8 August to 12 September 2020 among adults (≥18 years) residing in Panama. Participants were recruited throu...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Shelter-in-place and related COVID-19 physical distancing measures may influence the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV). The current study aims to (1) describe perceived changes in IPV experienced during and prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, (2) identify social correlates of IPV. Methods The International Sexual Health and REproducti...
Conference Paper
Background Lockdown and other COVID-19 social distancing measures (COVID-19-measures) may influence virtual sex behaviour due to increased screen time and decreased in-person sexual activity. This analysis describes the prevalence and factors associated with virtual sex before and during COVID-19 measures in Panama. Methods An online survey conduc...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Adolescents of urban (URB) and Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB) regions of Panama have high prevalence of sexually transmitted infection. This research aims to compare condom use at last sexual encounter (condom use) among URB and CNB adolescents and describe demographic and behavioural associations. Methods Multicentric, school-based, cross-s...
Article
Full-text available
Indigenous adolescents and young people in Panama are at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections, due in part to limited access to condoms and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. There is a paucity of evidence on how to develop sexual and reproductive health education programmes that incorporate different sources of...
Article
Full-text available
Objetivo: Describir la prevalencia y factores sociodemográficos relacionados con las creencias de contagio casual de VIH. Entender los factores que están asociados a estigmas y discriminación hacia compañeros que viven con el VIH en la población adolescente (14-19 años) en centros educativos de nivel media de áreas urbanas de Panamá. Método: Se rea...
Preprint
Full-text available
Population health surveys are rarely comprehensive in addressing sexual health, and population-representative surveys often lack standardized measures for collecting comparable data across countries. We present a sexual health survey instrument and implementation considerations for population-level sexual health research. The brief, comprehensive s...
Presentation
Full-text available
Publicado en la Prensa Jan 31, 2020
Article
Full-text available
Background: There is scant information on STI prevalence and risk factors among Latin American indigenous populations. We investigated STI prevalence and risk factors among adolescents of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB) indigenous region of Panama. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among school-going adolescents aged...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Few data exist on cervico-vaginal STI among adolescents in Panama. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of cervico-vaginal STIs among female school-going adolescents in urban regions of Panama. Methods A multicentric cross sectional study using multistage cluster sampling, with random selection of schools...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Consistent condom use, defined as using a condom in every sexual encounter, is an effective measure for preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, few studies have examined condom use among Latin American youth. This study estimated the correlates of reported condom use among school-going adolescents in four urban sites...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB), situated in western Panama, is home to over 200,000 indigenous peoples; the region has the highest levels of multidimensional poverty in the country. The prevalence and correlates of syphilis and HIV have not been previouslydescribed among adolescents of CNB. Methods A cross sectional study, using multista...
Presentation
Full-text available
Presentation
Full-text available
Conference Paper
Introduction Moral judgments (MJ) against people living with HIV (PLHIV), and belief of HIV transmission through casual contact (CC), lead in varying to degrees to social exclusion, discrimination, and violence. This study estimates the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI), and describes manifestations and correlates of...
Article
Full-text available
Background The purpose of the study was to recognize the social representation of the Guna indigenous population by identifying cultural elements related to malaria, in order to create an intercultural approach to any health intervention to control and prevent the disease. Methods This qualitative study has an anthropological focus that used parti...
Article
Tick-borne rickettsiosis is an important emerging disease in Panama; to date there have been 12 confirmed cases, including eight fatalities. To evaluate the distribution of rickettsiae in Panamanian ticks, we collected questing and on-host ticks in urban and rural towns in elevations varying between 0-2300 m. A total of 63 sites (13 urban and 50 ru...
Article
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This work emphasizes the detection of Candidatus “Rickettsia amblyommii” in questing Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Amblyomma mixtum. During February 2009 to December 2012, questing ticks were collected from the vegetation and leaf-litter of four protected forests and two grassy areas around the Panama Canal basin. DNA was extracted from Amblyomma mi...
Poster
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Background. Paederus spp. dermatitis is a form of irritant contact dermatitis caused by the accidental exposure to rove beetles. It is characterized by the sudden onset of erythematous and vesicular cutaneous lesions with burning sensation on exposed areas of the body. The disease is provoked by pederin release from the endolymph of Paederus beetle...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Since the middle of last century, cases of rickettsiosis have been found in Panamá when outbreaks of murine typhus and spotted fever were reported. Since then, little information exists about its prevalence in this country, since it is most often is misdiagnosed as another disease. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to demonstrat...

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