| Abstract: | OBJECTIVES: to assess the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and verify itsassociation with clinical characteristics and treatment adherence. METHOD: cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Aquestionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. The qualityof life scale proposed by the World Health Organization and a questionnaire tomeasure treatment adherence were used. RESULTS: of the 314 interviewees, 190 (60.5%) were male, aged 43 years on average, 121(38.5%) had attended up to five years of schooling, 108 (34.4%) received up to twotimes the minimum wage, and 112 (35.7%) were on sick leave. In regard to clinicalvariables, individuals with an undetectable viral load scored higher in all thedomains concerning quality of life, with statistically significant differences inthree domains. Regarding treatment adherence, 235 (73.8%) presented poor adherenceand those who strictly adhered to treatment obtained better scores in quality oflife. The results show that quality of life is better among individuals adherentto ART. Supporting people to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment should be apersistent task of healthcare workers and other people participating in thetreatment, such as family members and friends. |
