title: A qualitative exploration of the role of antiretroviral therapy on Chinese rural life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore factors influencing the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in rural China.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews with 20 PLHA were conducted in March 1999. Participants were recruited from the USAID-funded Longitudinal Enhanced Evaluation of ART Project, which tracks a cohort of eligible PLHA receiving treatment at five collaborating treatment centers in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. An interview guide (semi-structured with open-ended questions) was developed to provide a qualitative examination of the quality of life of PLHA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants identified that ART affects physical health, including the experience of pain, side effects, and opportunistic infections. ART imposes lifestyle constraints such as reduced mobility due to drug procurement, and social restrictions due to the daily drug regimen. Participants discussed the psychological burden of taking drugs, and the fear of accidental transmission to others, or having their disease status known by others, as well as optimistic feelings about their future due to ART. ART poses a significant drain on individual's economic resources due to related medical costs, and inability to seek seasonal migrant labor due to reduced mobility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While China's national free ART program improved the physical health of those surveyed, their social and economic needs were left unaddressed. To improve life outcomes for PLHA, and by extension, the wider Chinese population, quality of life measures should be included when evaluating the success of the ART program.
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhong Qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rangsima
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Airawanwat
authors.forename: Yao Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qiu Ying
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kong Lai
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012424:Rural Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents