title: The relationship of disease severity, health beliefs and medication adherence among HIV patients.
abstract: The objective was to investigate the relationship of disease severity, health beliefs and medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients. A survey was administered to 72 patients in three different stages of HIV/AIDS (CDC clinical categories A, B, C). Multivariate analyses revealed that there were no significant differences in patients' perceptions of the severity of HIV/AIDS or perceptions of the benefits and barriers for the treatment across three disease stages. However, the most severely ill patients (in stage C) perceived a higher risk of complications if they did not take their medicine as prescribed compared to asymptomatic patients (stage A) (p = 0.01). Also, patients in stages B and C were more adherent to their medications compared to patients in stage A (p = 0.007). Finally, perceived susceptibility-inaction was positively related to medication adherence (p = 0.005) and difficulty in following doctors' instructions was negatively related to patients' medication adherence (p = 0.009). In conclusion, patients' illness experiences are associated with their beliefs about the chances of developing complications if they do not adhere to their medications. Patients who have experienced more complications perceive a stronger relationship between medication non-adherence and AIDS-related complications, and are also more adherent to their medication regimen when compared to patients with no prior complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA. xgao4@wvu.edu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Nau
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rosenbluth
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woodward
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010465:Perception
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents