Quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS - the influence of social determinants and disease-related factors.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the quality of life (QoL) of people with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted at a specialized HIV/AIDS health facility of the Brazilian Public Health Service. Data were collected using the HIV/AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life (HAT-QoL) instrument. RESULTS: The study included 109 participants. Among the many significant statistical associations found in the study, the variables that had a greater effect on the domains assessed by the instrument were educational level, occupation, financial situation, ethnicity, and symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic factors and HIV/AIDS-related aspects were influential in the QoL of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS - the influence of social determinants and disease-related factors

Abstract INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the quality of life (QoL) of people with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted at a specialized HIV/AIDS health facility of the Brazilian Public Health Service. Data were collected using the HIV/AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life (HAT-QoL) instrument. RESULTS: The study included 109 participants. Among the many significant statistical associations found in the study, the variables that had a greater effect on the domains assessed by the instrument were educational level, occupation, financial situation, ethnicity, and symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic factors and HIV/AIDS-related aspects were influential in the QoL of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Treatment adherence in patients living with HIV/AIDS assisted at a specialized facility in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: In the 1990s, Brazil adopted a public policy that allowed for universal, free access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Since then, treatment adherence has become a new challenge for administrators of sexually transmitted disease/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (STD/AIDS) policies. This study quantified adherence to ART and verified whether there is an association between sociodemographic variables and clinical/laboratory data in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study with a quantitative approach that was conducted over 8 months. The target population contained patients who were assisted at the ambulatory care facility specialized in STD/AIDS of a medium-size city located in Northwest São Paulo. In order to verify the level of adherence to ART, a validated CEAT-VIH (Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire) questionnaire was used. Sociodemographic aspects and clinical/laboratory data were obtained from the medical records. The results were analyzed using the Student's t-test and Pearson's coefficient. RESULTS: Herein, 109 patients were interviewed, 56% of whom were male. The age of the population ranged 18-74 years (mean 45.67 years). Adherence to ART was classified as insufficient in 80.7% of cases. There was an association between ART adherence and presence of symptoms and/or opportunistic infection (p=0.008) and economic status (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to ART among HIV carriers cared for by the public health system is low. Patients who reported a favorable economic status and those without symptoms and/or opportunistic infection demonstrated greater treatment adherence than those who needed to take more than 3 pills a day.

Treatment adherence in patients living with HIV/AIDS assisted at a specialized facility in Brazil

Abstract INTRODUCTION: In the 1990s, Brazil adopted a public policy that allowed for universal, free access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Since then, treatment adherence has become a new challenge for administrators of sexually transmitted disease/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (STD/AIDS) policies. This study quantified adherence to ART and verified whether there is an association between sociodemographic variables and clinical/laboratory data in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study with a quantitative approach that was conducted over 8 months. The target population contained patients who were assisted at the ambulatory care facility specialized in STD/AIDS of a medium-size city located in Northwest São Paulo. In order to verify the level of adherence to ART, a validated CEAT-VIH (Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire) questionnaire was used. Sociodemographic aspects and clinical/laboratory data were obtained from the medical records. The results were analyzed using the Student's t-test and Pearson's coefficient. RESULTS Herein, 109 patients were interviewed, 56% of whom were male. The age of the population ranged 18-74 years (mean 45.67 years). Adherence to ART was classified as insufficient in 80.7% of cases. There was an association between ART adherence and presence of symptoms and/or opportunistic infection (p=0.008) and economic status (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to ART among HIV carriers cared for by the public health system is low. Patients who reported a favorable economic status and those without symptoms and/or opportunistic infection demonstrated greater treatment adherence than those who needed to take more than 3 pills a day.

Análise da adesão ao tratamento e qualidade de vida de pacientes portadores do vírus HIV / Analysis of treatment adherence and quality of life of patients with HIV

A AIDS tornou-se uma doença crônica devido ao avanço na terapêutica. Porém, a adesão a TARV é difícil devido à natureza exigente da terapia e os desafios enfrentados pelos pacientes com HIV. Ainda assim, houve um aumento na expectativa de vida, implicando na necessidade de avaliação da qualidade de vida, o que a torna um importante critério para análise da efetividade dos tratamentos. Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico transversal quantitativo, realizado no Ambulatório do Serviço de Assistência Especializada em HIV/AIDS do Sistema Único de Saúde ­ SAE/SUS. Foram convidados a participar da pesquisa, todos os indivíduos atendidos neste local, no período de 8 meses. Para a coleta dos dados, utilizaram-se os instrumentos CEAT- VIH, para avaliar a adesão ao tratamento, e HAT-QoL para verificar a qualidade de vida. Para a análise estatística foram utilizados os testes t de Student, análise de variância e coeficiente de Pearson. Fizeram parte do estudo 109 indivíduos, sendo o perfil dos entrevistados composto predominantemente pelo sexo masculino (56%), cor da pele branca (59%), nível escolar primário (45%) e desempregado (56%). A adesão ao tratamento antirretroviral foi classificada como insuficiente em 80,7% dos casos e houve associação entre adesão à TARV e as variáveis: presença de sintomas e/ou infecção oportunista (p=0,008) e situação econômica (p<0,001). Na análise da qualidade de vida HAT-QoL, os domínios mais afetados foram preocupação com sigilo (M=46; DP=33), seguido de preocupação financeira (M=47; DP=37). Dentre as várias associações estatísticas significantes encontradas no estudo, verificou-se que a escolaridade (p<0,002), ocupação (p=0,008), situação financeira (p<0,001), etnia (p=0,013), e presença de sintoma e/ou infecção oportunista (p<0,001), foram as variáveis mais influentes nas dimensões do instrumento utilizado. A partir dos dados obtidos, conclui-se que a adesão à TARV dos pacientes atendidos no SAE/SUS estudado é baixa e que as condições sociodemográficas e aspectos relacionados ao HIV/AIDS que mais influenciaram a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos infectados foram escolaridade, situação financeira e presença de sintoma e/ou infecção oportunista(AU)

AIDS has become a chronic disease due to advances in therapy. However, adherence to ART is difficult due to the demanding nature of therapy and the challenges faced by HIV patients. Nevertheless, there was an increase in life expectancy, implying the need to evaluate the quality of life, which makes it an important criterion for the analysis of the effectiveness of the treatments. This was a quantitative cross-sectional epidemiological study, carried out in a Specialized HIV/AIDS Assistance Center of the Unified Health System. All individuals attended at this location were invited to participate in the study, in a period of 8 months. Data were collected using CEAT-VIH instruments to assess adherence to treatment, and HAT-QoL to assess quality of life. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-tests, analysis of variance and Pearson's coefficient. A total of 109 individuals were interviewed. The interviewees' profile was composed predominantly of males (56%), white skin color (59%), primary school level (45%) and unemployed (56%). Adherence to antiretroviral treatment was classified as insufficient in 80.7% of the cases and there was an association between ART adherence and the variables: presence of symptoms and / or opportunistic infection (p = 0.008) and economic situation (p <0.001). In the HAT-QoL quality of life analysis, the most affected domains were confidentiality concerns (M = 46, SD = 33), followed by financial concerns (M = 47, SD = 37). Among the various statistical associations found in the study, we found that schooling (p <0.002), occupation (p = 0.008), financial situation (p <0.001), ethnicity (p = 0.013), and presence of symptom and/or opportunistic infection <0.001), were the most influential variables in the instrument used. Based on the data obtained, it is concluded that the adherence to ART of the patients seen in the SAE/SUS studied is low and that the sociodemographic conditions and aspects related to HIV/AIDS that most influenced the quality of life of the infected individuals were schooling, situation and presence of symptom and/or opportunistic infection(AU)

Perception of HIV among pregnant women in the public health system in two municipalities of the state of São Paulo

Aim: To verify the knowledge of pregnant women on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, the availability of HIV tests in the public health system and counseling on the disease in two cities, Birigui and Piacatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. Methods: This is a descriptive and exploratoryresearch using as samples, the files of 141 pregnant women attending the Basic Health Unit. Datawere collected by survey, followed by a semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed end questions. Data were analyzed on Epi Info™ 7.1.4, by the Chi-square and Exact Fishertests. Results: From all the 141 pregnant women, 119 were interviewed and 92.4% reportedto have been informed about the need of taking the HIV test during prenatal exams. However,only 5.9% were counseled and 20.2% reported to be aware of how to prevent MTCT of HIV,usually mentioning lactation suppression and prescribed medication. The association between the knowledge about how to prevent MTCT of HIV and some social, demographic and economic variables like ethnics, educational level, home location, occupation, age and parenting was notverified. Conclusions: It is necessary to advise pregnant women on the importance of takingthe HIV test regardless of the examination outcome, which was not observed in the cities where the research was conducted.