Smoking Behaviour Among People Living with HIV and AIDS: A Sub-Group Comparison.
Recent advancements in the treatment of HIV have significantly improved long-term health outcomes and life expectancy among people living with HIV/AIDS. As such, healthcare professionals have begun to focus more seriously on health protective behaviour changes that could further reduce mortality including smoking and tobacco dependence. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 438 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) attending a clinic in an urban area to measure current smoking behaviours. After removing missing data, the final sample was 402 service users. Among those surveyed 141 (35.0%) were current smokers with 35 (8.2%) ex-smokers. Rates among key sub-groups were higher. Comparatively, smoking prevalence was very low among African migrants (8, 7.2%), particularly African born women (1, 1.3%). In line with international studies, smoking prevalence among PLWHA was nearly double that of the general population. These findings come at a time when smoking in the general population in Ireland is at an all-time low, making the need to address tobacco dependence among PLWHA all the more vital.
TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, DIT Kevin St, Focas Research Building, Camden Row, Dublin 8.
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Babineau
TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, DIT Kevin St, Focas Research Building, Camden Row, Dublin 8.
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O'Dea
TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, DIT Kevin St, Focas Research Building, Camden Row, Dublin 8.
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Courtney
TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, DIT Kevin St, Focas Research Building, Camden Row, Dublin 8.
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