Objectives: To investigate the performance of HIV
infected older adults resident in a rural area in Eastern
Zambia with low education level on the motor skills and
verbal fluency.
Materials and Methods: A quantitative and cross
sectional study consisting of 28 HIV positive and 22 HIV
negative rural resident adults in Chipata with the age
range of 40-65years with fewer than five years of
education. The present sub study extended the
generalisability of the Zambia Neurobehavioral Test
Battery (ZNTB) findings with literate, urban adults in the
main study to a sample of less formally educated, elderly,
rural adults, using tests of motor skill and some verbal
fluency tests translated into local language, that were not
expected to depend on formal education. The main
sample study included 41 participants with the education
range of 5-7 years drawn from the main sample in the 6
clinics in Lusaka. Some aspects of the ZNTB were used
to measure cognitive functioning. The Finger Tapping
Test of the Developmental Neuropsychological Test
Battery was also used.
Results: Tests of motor skill were less sensitive to HIV
infection (F (1, 48) = 1.134, p= .292) than verbal fluency
tests-Hopkins Verbal Learning (F (1, 48) = 42.994, p=
.000, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test- delay (F (1, 48) =
45.886, p= .000, Animal Naming (F(1, 48) = 14.772, p=
.000 and Action Naming (F (1, 48) = 14.227, p= .000).
Contrary to hypothesis, performance on the grooved
pegboard test of motor skill was significantly higher by
participants with full primary education (Z score= -0.90)
than by less educated participants (Z score= 1.80).
Conclusions: This study has brought to light what was not
known about the effect of HIV and education on the
performance of the motor tasks and verbal fluency among
the low literate adults. It has shown that regardless of the
HIV status individuals can perform tasks normally on the
motor tasks more especially with the improved treatment
of HIV.