title: Health-related quality-of-life and receipt of women-centered HIV care among women living with HIV in Canada.
abstract: We measured health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the SF-12 among women living with HIV (WLWH) in Canada between August 2013 and May 2015. We investigated differences by perceived receipt of women-centered HIV care (WCHC), assessed using an evidence-based definition with a 5-point Likert item: "Overall, I think that the care I have received from my HIV clinic in the last year has been women-centered" (dichotomized into agree vs. disagree/neutral). Of 1308 participants, 26.3 percent were from British Columbia, 48.2 percent from Ontario, and 25.5 percent from Québec. The median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 36-51). Most (42.2 percent) were White, 29.4 percent African/Caribbean/Black, and 21.0 percent Indigenous. Overall, 53.4 percent perceived having received WCHC. Mean physical and mental HRQOL scores were 43.8 (standard deviation [SD] = 14.4) and 41.7 (SD = 14.2), respectively. Women perceiving having received WCHC had higher mean physical (44.7; SD = 14.0) and mental (43.7; SD = 14.1) HRQOL scores than those not perceiving having received WCHC (42.9; SD = 14.8 and 39.5; SD = 14.0, respectively; p < .001). In multivariable linear regression, perceived WCHC was associated with higher mental (β = 3.48; 95 percent confidence interval: 1.90, 5.06) but not physical HRQOL. Improving HRQOL among Canadian WLWH, which was lower than general population estimates, is needed, including examining the potential of WCHC as an effective model of clinical care.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , British Columbia , Canada.|b BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: c Women's College Research Institute , Women's College Hospital , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.|d Faculty of Medicine , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loutfy
authors.affiliation: e Chronic Viral Illness Service , McGill University Health Centre , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.|f Department of Family Medicine , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Pokomandy
authors.affiliation: b BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colley
authors.affiliation: b BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sereda
authors.affiliation: e Chronic Viral Illness Service , McGill University Health Centre , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.|f Department of Family Medicine , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: e Chronic Viral Illness Service , McGill University Health Centre , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.
authors.forename: Karène
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Proulx-Boucher
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.affiliation: c Women's College Research Institute , Women's College Hospital , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Kerrigan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Beaver
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , British Columbia , Canada.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009629:Person-Centered Psychotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: CHIWOS; Canada; HIV; health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL); women; women-centered HIV care (WCHC)