Quality of life, clinical characteristics and treatment adherence of people living with HIV/AIDS

• Published in: Revista latino-americana de enfermagem Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 994 - 1000
• Main Authors: e Silva, Ana Cristina de Oliveira, Reis, Renata Karina, Nogueira, Jordana Almeida, Gir, Elucir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto / Universidade de São Paulo 01-12-2014; Universidade de São Paulo
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - diagnosis; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - drug therapy; Adult; Aged; Calidad de Vida; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cumplimiento de la Medicación; Female; HIV; Humans; Male; Medication Adherence - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; NURSING; Quality of Life; Sindrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; Adesão à Medicação; Medication Adherence; Sindrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida; Calidad de Vida; HIV; VHI; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Qualidade de Vida; Quality of Life; Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida; Cumplimiento de la Medicación
• ISSN: 0104-1169; 1518-8345; 1518-8345; 0104-1169
• DOI: 10.1590/0104-1169.3534.2508

to assess the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and verify its association with clinical characteristics and treatment adherence.
cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. The quality of life scale proposed by the World Health Organization and a questionnaire to measure treatment adherence were used.
of the 314 interviewees, 190 (60.5%) were male, aged 43 years on average, 121 (38.5%) had attended up to five years of schooling, 108 (34.4%) received up to two times the minimum wage, and 112 (35.7%) were on sick leave. In regard to clinical variables, individuals with an undetectable viral load scored higher in all the domains concerning quality of life, with statistically significant differences in three domains. Regarding treatment adherence, 235 (73.8%) presented poor adherence and those who strictly adhered to treatment obtained better scores in quality of life. The results show that quality of life is better among individuals adherent to ART. Supporting people to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment should be a persistent task of healthcare workers and other people participating in the treatment, such as family members and friends.