Quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS treated by the specialized service in Vitória-ES, Brazil

• Main Authors: Gabriella Barreto Soares, Cléa Adas Saliba Garbin, Tânia Adas Saliba Rovida, Artênio José Ísper Garbin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva 2015-04-01
• Series: Ciência & Saúde Coletiva
• Subjects: HIV; Qualidade de vida; Serviços de saúde
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-81232015000401075&lng=en&tlng=en

The aim of this study is to establish the factors that influence the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS being treated at a specialized public service. The participants answered the questionnaire on sociodemographic conditions, issues related to HIV and daily habits. The quality of life was analyzed using the HIV/AIDS-targeted quality of life (HAT-QoL) instrument with 42 items divided into 9 fields: General Activity, Sexual Activity, Confidentiality Concerns, Health Concerns, Financial Concerns, HIV Awareness, Satisfaction with Life, Issues related to Medication and Trust in the Physician. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed. Of the participants, 53.1% were women and had a mean age of 42 years. In analyzing the quality of life, the HAT-QoL domain with the lowest average was Financial Concerns (39.4), followed by Confidentiality Concerns (43.2), Sexual Activity (55.2) and Health Concerns (62. 88). There was an association between the variables: not being gainfully employed (p < 0.001), being mulatto or black (p = 0.045) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.041) with the worst quality of life scores. Inadequate socioeconomic and health conditions had a negative impact on the quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.