title: Quality of life, clinical characteristics and treatment adherence of people living with HIV/AIDS.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to assess the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and verify its association with clinical characteristics and treatment adherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. The quality of life scale proposed by the World Health Organization and a questionnaire to measure treatment adherence were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  of the 314 interviewees, 190 (60.5%) were male, aged 43 years on average, 121 (38.5%) had attended up to five years of schooling, 108 (34.4%) received up to two times the minimum wage, and 112 (35.7%) were on sick leave. In regard to clinical variables, individuals with an undetectable viral load scored higher in all the domains concerning quality of life, with statistically significant differences in three domains. Regarding treatment adherence, 235 (73.8%) presented poor adherence and those who strictly adhered to treatment obtained better scores in quality of life. The results show that quality of life is better among individuals adherent to ART. Supporting people to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment should be a persistent task of healthcare workers and other people participating in the treatment, such as family members and friends.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem Clinica, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Paraíba, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cristina de Oliveira
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: e Silva
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Karina
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem Clinica, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Paraíba, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jordana Almeida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elucir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gir
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring