title: Impact of baseline health and community support on antiretroviral treatment outcomes in HIV patients in South Africa.
abstract: The importance of community support when scaling-up antiretroviral treatment (ART) in resource-limited settings is poorly understood. We assessed the impact of baseline health, patient characteristics and community support on ART outcomes at 6 and 12 months in a representative sample of 268 patients enrolled in the Free State public sector ART program (South Africa). Delayed ART initiation reduced ART response, whereas support from treatment buddies, community health workers and support groups significantly improved treatment outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Research Centre for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, University of Antwerp, Belgium. edwin.wouters@ua.ac.be
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Damme
authors.forename: Dingie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Rensburg
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meulemans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012423:Rural Health; D012944:Social Support; D013019:South Africa; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents