Measuring the Quality Of Life (QOL) of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) With Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in Addis Ababa Zenebework Hospital
Creators: name: Tolla, Lulseged
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2006

description: A cross-sectional comparative study among 768 (262 People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in Zenebework Hospital and 506 their respective neighbors from Kolfe and Nifasilk sub cities) in Addis Ababa was employed between December and February 2006, to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), Amharic translated standard Medical Outcome Study-HIV (MOS-HIV) interview questionnaire collected information on health related quality of life while; a pre tested interview questionnaire collected the socio demographic characteristics of both cases and non-equivalent controls. Clinical data for antiretroviral participants was collected using a prepared data extraction form. Some of the items, 11 dimensions and 2 aggregate physical (PHS) and mental (MHS) summary scores of the MOS-HIV were used to evaluate the level and determinants of health related quality of life. The overall response rate was 96.6%. Reliabilty coeffocients were &gt; 0.70, except the general health and vitality scales. MOS-HIV scores for PLWHA on HAART were correlted with pain, energy, cognitve function,vitality, health destress and social funtions. Compared to their neighbors, PLWHA on HAART scored lower mean points for physical functioning, pain, energy, social functioning, vitality, health distress, mental and cognitive functioning dimensions(P&lt;0.000)for all. Between 7..3 to 33.6% of PLWHA on HAART and 3.6 to 11.1% of their neighbors reported substantial impairments in selected items containing Physical and mental functions. Highest proportion (33.6%) of the HAART group admitted health limitation in working at a job or around tie house followed by inability to do moderate activities (27.9%) quite a lot of the time. Those HAART participants with duration of treatment above the median 36 weeks obtained higher mean points than those below for general health (P&lt;0.05), physical functioning (P&lt;0.001) and vitality (P&lt;0.05). PLWHA on HAART in clinical stages 1 and 2 were more likely to score high mean points than those in clinical stages 3 and 4. Significant associations were observed in general health (P&lt;0.05), bodily pain (P&lt;0.0001), physical functioning vii (P&lt;0.0001), vitality (P&lt;0.0001), and health distress (P&lt;0.05). After adjustments for confounders high mean Physical Health Summary (PHS) scores were observed in age groups &lt;36 and secondary plus education attendants of the two study groups while, high Mental Health Summary (MHS) scores were related to age less than 36, males, secondary education attendants, employed and high income groups of both PLWHA on HAART and their neighbors. In multivariate analysis education was the only predictor of physical and mental health summary scoring in PLWHA on HAART and their neighbors. In conclusion, patient-reported measures may provide a feasible and reliable method to assess the problems and clinical progress of PLWHA on HAART. Intervention strategies to improve the health-related quality of life of PLWHA on HAART like educational opportunity to allivate employment and economic problems are recommended.