Online Program

292427
Relationships between antiretroviral treatment adherence and neuro-cognitive functioning among HIV-positive adults who abuse alcohol


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Jennifer Attonito, Ph.D., Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, North Miami, FL
Karina Villalba, PhD, MPH, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Anshul Saxena, MPH, Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Brenda Lerner, RN, PsyD, AIDS Prevention Program, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Jessy G. Dévieux, Ph.D., Dept. of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Robert M. Malow, Ph.D., Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Background: Neuro-cognitive impairment (NCI) may be an important factor in efforts to improve antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence in HIV-positive, alcohol-abusing populations. Methods: Measures of NCI included Color Trails Test 2 (CTT2); Short Category Test (SCT); and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). Alcohol use severity was measured using the Alcohol use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and adherence was a self-reported percentage over 7-days. Data was gathered from 171 HIV-positive adults in Miami, FL who reported recent alcohol use—the majority were male (61%) and of minority race/ethnicity (85%); mean age was 45.9; 72.5% reported 100% adherence; and 45.6% did not complete high school. NCI data was normed for age, gender, and education. Significant (p<0.1) factors from bivariate linear regression were run in a multivariate linear regression. Results: A mean AUDIT score of 15.7 indicated hazardous drinking. Means of raw SCT (40.1), AVLT (9.2), and CTT2 (58.2) exceeded healthy norms and indicated possible impairment. In bivariate regression, greater age (p=.003) and lower education level (p=0.49) predicted ART adherence. Both factors predicted adherence in a multivariate model: greater age (p=.002; CI= .23, .048, β=0.64) and lower years of education (p=.038; CI=-5.4, -0.16; β=-2.8). Neither model indicated a relationship between NCI and ART adherence. Conclusions: While NCI may seriously impact HIV-positive adults who use alcohol, other factors such as age and education may play a greater role in their degree of ART adherence. Structural equation modeling with latent variables will be conducted to further probe the relationship between NCI and adherence.

Learning Areas:

Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess the impact of neurocognitive impairment on antiretroviral treatment adherence

Keyword(s): Treatment Adherence, Psychological Indicators

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student, using this data in my dissertation and have in-depth insight into the study. I gave an oral presentation on this data last year at APHA.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.