Health-related quality-of-life and receipt of women-centered HIV care among women living with HIV in Canada |
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Authors: | Allison Carter Mona Loutfy Alexandra de Pokomandy Guillaume Colley Wendy Zhang Paul Sereda |
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Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada;2. BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;3. Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;4. Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;5. Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;6. Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;7. BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACTWe measured health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the SF-12 among women living with HIV (WLWH) in Canada between August 2013 and May 2015. We investigated differences by perceived receipt of women-centered HIV care (WCHC), assessed using an evidence-based definition with a 5-point Likert item: “Overall, I think that the care I have received from my HIV clinic in the last year has been women-centered” (dichotomized into agree vs. disagree/neutral). Of 1308 participants, 26.3 percent were from British Columbia, 48.2 percent from Ontario, and 25.5 percent from Québec. The median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 36–51). Most (42.2 percent) were White, 29.4 percent African/Caribbean/Black, and 21.0 percent Indigenous. Overall, 53.4 percent perceived having received WCHC. Mean physical and mental HRQOL scores were 43.8 (standard deviation [SD] = 14.4) and 41.7 (SD = 14.2), respectively. Women perceiving having received WCHC had higher mean physical (44.7; SD = 14.0) and mental (43.7; SD = 14.1) HRQOL scores than those not perceiving having received WCHC (42.9; SD = 14.8 and 39.5; SD = 14.0, respectively; p < .001). In multivariable linear regression, perceived WCHC was associated with higher mental (β = 3.48; 95 percent confidence interval: 1.90, 5.06) but not physical HRQOL. Improving HRQOL among Canadian WLWH, which was lower than general population estimates, is needed, including examining the potential of WCHC as an effective model of clinical care. |
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Keywords: | Canada CHIWOS health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) HIV women women-centered HIV care (WCHC) |
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