Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116707

Carleen Stoskopf, ScD¹, Yunho Jeon, MS², and Jong-Deuk Baek, PhD². (1) Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, U of South Carolina, 800 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29209, 803-777-1627, stoskoch@gwm.sc.edu, (2) Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29208

Background: Adherence is one of the most important keys to success in antiretroviral therapy, and little is known to factors that affect the adherence among HIV patients with mental health and substance abuse problems.

Methods: A national probability sample of 2,466 adults receiving HIV care who completed first follow-up interviews from December, 1996 to July, 1997. HIV patients with mental health and substance abuse problems were identified based on psychiatric symptoms and substance abuse status after checking eligibility for mental health supplement. Bivariate and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the association between antiretroviral adherence and independent variables such as demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, social support, coping, optimism, and quality of care variables.

Results: About 18% were identified as HIV patients with co-occurring symptoms. After adjusting for all the other variables, African Americans and Hispanics were less likely to adhere to antiretroviral medication than whites (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: [0.28, 0.81]; OR: 0.39, 95% CI: [0.16, 0.97], respectively); disabled patients were more likely to adhere than full/part time employees (OR: 2.71, 95% CI: [1.38, 5.35]); those with income between $5,000 and $10,000 were less likely to adhere than those with income less than $5,000; pessimistic patients were less likely to adhere than optimists; those with rating moderate quality of care were less likely to adhere than those with rating good quality of care.

Conclusions: To enhance adherence and care for such a vulnerable population, more profound studies are needed, and it may reduce HIV incidence.

Learning Objectives:

• To determine factors affecting HIV antiretroviral adherence among HIV patients with mental health and substance abuse problems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation