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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
An investigation into the health-related quality of life of individuals living with HIV who are receiving HAART
AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, Volume 17, No. 5, Year 2005
Notification
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Description
The health authorities have recently accepted the routine provision of highly active antiretroviral therapy to persons living with AIDS in South Africa. There is a need to investigate the impact of HAART on the health-related quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in a resource-poor environment, as this will have an influence on compliance and treatment outcome. The aim of this study was to explore whether HAART is efficacious in improving the self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a group of PWLA in WHO Stages 3 and 4 living in a resource-poor community. A quasi-experimental, prospective repeated measures design was used to monitor the HRQoL over time in participants recruited to an existing HAART programme. The HRQoL of 117 participants was determined through the use of the Xhosa version of the EQ-5D and measurements were taken at baseline, one, six and 12 months. At the time of the 12-month questionnaire, 95 participants had been on HAART for 12 months. Not all participants attended all follow-up visits, but only two participants had withdrawn from the HAART programme, after two or three months. At baseline, the rank order of problems reported in all domains of the EQ-5D was significantly greater than at 12 months. The mean score on the global rating of health status increased significantly (p < 0.001) from a mean of 61.7 (SD = 22.7) at baseline to 76.1 at 12 months (SD = 18.5) It is concluded that, even in a resource-poor environment, HRQoL can be greatly improved by HAART, and that the possible side effects of the drugs seem to have a negligible impact on the wellbeing of the subjects. This bodes well for the anticipated roll-out of HAART within the public health sector in South Africa. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Jelsma, Jennifer M.
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
Maclean, Emi
Switzerland, Geneva
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Hughes, Janeen
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
Tinise, Xolani
Switzerland, Geneva
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Darder, Marta
Switzerland, Geneva
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Statistics
Citations: 168
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1080/09540120412331319714
ISSN:
09540121
Research Areas
Disability
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cohort Study
Quasi Experimental Study
Study Locations
South Africa