ANTECEDENTS OF ADHERENCE TO ANTITUBERCULOSIS THERAPY (TUBERCULOSIS, GEORGIA, HIV, IMMUNE DEFICIENCY).
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 104
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Public Health.; Psychology, Behavioral.
Description: The purpose of this study was to identify antecedents of adherence to antituberculosis therapy. Several research questions related to the effect of patient perceptions, patient characteristics, and system services on self-reported adherence were addressed. Data were collected from 11 public health districts and 1 clinical research trial in the state of Georgia. The sample of 62 English-speaking adults, although non-randomly selected, was similar to the larger population of TB patients in the state of Georgia with the exception of a lower percentage of HIV positive patients and more reported alcohol use. Student's t tests, Pearson product moment correlations, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of self-reported adherence. Higher levels of self-reported adherence were associated with an annual income of $11,000 or more, an education beyond high school, no current alcohol use, the perceived presence of supports and absence of barriers to medication taking, a strong intent to adhere, and a high capacity for self-care. These 6 variables account for 28\% of the adherence variance. Additionally, belief in the usefulness and benefit of the medications was strongly correlated with intentions to adhere, and interpersonal aspects of care were significantly correlated with perceptions of medication utility, supports/barriers, intentions, and self-care. A finding that HIV coinfected subjects had significantly lower adherence was also identified. Characteristics such as the number of times an individual reported having TB, duration of therapy, age, gender, race, birthplace, employment status, living arrangement, or drug use were not significantly associated with adherence. Small subsample size for those who reported having TB more than once, or those who were homeless, foreign born, current drug users, or HIV positive precludes generalization of the findings related to these groups.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-09, Section: B, page: 5576.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1996.

School code: 0005.