Kutnick AH, Halkitis PN, Borkowski T; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. MoPeE3729.
Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training, New York, United States
BACKGROUND: Reliably measuring HIV medication adherence is an important component of research that examines factors impacting HIV disease progression. METHODOLOGY: A community-based sample of HIV seropositive gay and bisexual men who are on a protease inhibitor HAART regimen completed qualitative assessments, quantitative assessments using A-CASI, and technological assessments (MEMS caps) in order to predict overall health progression of HIV disease, using the measure of viral load. Data were collected to assess the reliability of various methods in assessing HIV disease progression. RESULTS: Data were collected on a sample of 300 gay and bisexual men (mean age 42, range 20-70). Of these men, 62.5% reported initiating treatment with a protease inhibitor between 1996 and 1998. Based on a measure of viral load, 35.3% of subjects showed an undetectable viral load, while 11.8% showed a HIV-1 viral load of less than 500 copies/ml, 16.0% with a viral load between 501 to 10,000, and 25.5% with a viral load greater than 10,000. Significant correlations were found between qualitative face-to-face interviews describing medication adherence and measures of viral load (r = 0.14, p < .05), while technological and quantitative assessments of medication adherence did not show significant relationships with viral load measures. Moreover, the qualitative face-to-face interview was the only significant predictor (F (1,224) = 4.485, p <.05) of overall HIV disease progression, while other methods of medication adherence, the technological and quantitative assessments, were not. CONCLUSION: Preliminary analyses suggest that qualitative face-to-face interviews assessing HIV medication adherence can be considered a reliable measure of HIV disease progression as has been suggested in counseling models of adherence. Furthermore, questions concerning the reliability of technological and quantitative assessments of HIV medication adherence should be further examined.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- AIDS Vaccines
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Anti-HIV Agents
- Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
- Bisexuality
- Comprehension
- Counseling
- HIV
- HIV Infections
- HIV Protease Inhibitors
- HIV Seropositivity
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- Male
- Pharmaceutical Preparations
- Viral Load
Other ID:
UI: 102254149
From Meeting Abstracts