title: Characteristics of HIV antiretroviral treatments, access and adherence in an ethnically diverse sample of men who have sex with men.
abstract: Data regarding HIV antiretroviral treatment regimens, access to treatment and medical care, and adherence to medications were collected as part of the Seropositive Urban Men's Study, a formative study of HIV-positive men who have sex with men. Participants (N = 456) were recruited from AIDS service organizations, mainstream gay venues and public/commercial sex environments. The sample was 94% gay or bisexually-identified; 29% were African American, 24% Latino and 30% white. The majority (71%) indicated being on antiretroviral treatment, and most were taking a protease inhibitor/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor combination. African American men in New York City were less likely to be on treatment. Among those on treatment (n = 322), 51% reported at least one day in which they had missed a dose of their medication and the mean number of days in which a dose was missed (in the past 30 days) was 1.72. Multivariate analyses indicated that avoidant coping, frequency of drinking alcohol and difficulty in communicating with sex partners about HIV were related to days of missed doses, suggesting the need or desire to escape from the reality of life with HIV as a potential explanation for poor adherence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 239 Greene Street, East Building 537G, New York, NY 10003, USA. perry.halkitis@nyu.edu
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Halkitis
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wolitski
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Remien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009519:New York City; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012495:San Francisco; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors