General health status and adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence is crucial in lowering HIV/AIDS-related mortality. General health status is known to predict mortality, but no study has assessed its association with HAART adherence. A total of 103 whites, African Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos with HIV/AIDS underwent an interview using validated measures. Regression analyses assessed the relationship between general health status and HAART adherence while controlling for social support, sense of control, depression, stress, HIV stigma, substance abuse, and unfair treatment because of race. Those rating their general health as fair/poor were 4 times more likely to be nonadherent (odds ratio [OR], 4.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-15.79). This association dramatically strengthened in the multivariate regression model (OR, 10.96; 95% CI, 1.46-82.36) after controlling for the covariates.


CONCLUSIONS
General health status was the strongest predictor of HAART nonadherence, and future research is needed to assess whether this 1-question general health measure can be clinically used to influence adherence.
Cardarelli
Roberto
R
Primary Care Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, USA. rcardare@hsc.unt.edu
Weis
Stephen
S
Adams
Elvin
E
Radaford
Debbie
D
Vecino
Isabel
I
Munguia
Guadalupe
G
Johnson
Katandria Love
KL
Fulda
Kimberly G
KG
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015497:HIV-1; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012944:Social Support; D044465:White People