The Use of Self-Managed Treatment Strategies in a Predominantly Low-Income, African-American Sample of Women Living with HIV

Abstract

While low-income and ethnic minority women represent a growing proportion of new HIV cases in the United States, little is known about how they manage their antiretroviral medication regimens. Using a predominantly low-income, African-American sample (N = 85), this study examined medication self-management strategies among HIV seropositive women undergoing antiretroviral therapy in a major metropolitan area. Most study participants (95%; n = 81) reported employing a specific medication management strategy during the previous week. Pillboxes, use of daily activities, and receiving reminders from another person were the most common strategies. Most participants (80.2%) employed two or more strategies. Age, education, and motivation were associated with alarm, pillbox, and visual aid usage.

Patient activation among people living with HIV: a cross-sectional comparative analysis with people living with diabetes mellitus

“…Although HIV-tailored self-management approaches improve outcomes among PLWH (Côté et al, 2015;Houston & Osborn, 2015;Merlin et al, 2015), there is a lack of clarity about whether standardized chronic disease self-management programs could be effective for this population (Millard, Elliott, & Girdler, 2013). The objectives of this study were to establish a baseline measure of activation using the PAM® among PLWH and to compare PAM® scores between PLWH and with Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) to help inform future approaches to self-management support for PLWH.…”