Measuring Health Related Quality of Life among Women Living with HIV

Although women had been under recognized in the literature on HIV/AIDS, increasing numbers of studies have focused on the lives and experiences of women living with HIV/AIDS. Areas of research in which the study of women and HIV continues to be noticeably lacking include health related quality of li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quality of life research 2000-01, Vol.9 (8), p.931-940
Main Authors: McDonnell, K A, Gielen, A C, Wu, A W, O'Campo, P, Faden, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Adult
African Americans
AIDS
Baltimore
Commentary
Female
Health Planning
Health Status
HIV
HIV Infections - psychology
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Mathematical functions
Men
Mental health
Quality of Life
Reproducibility of Results
Reproductive health
Surveys and Questionnaires
Wellbeing
Womens health
Working women
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Summary:Although women had been under recognized in the literature on HIV/AIDS, increasing numbers of studies have focused on the lives and experiences of women living with HIV/AIDS. Areas of research in which the study of women and HIV continues to be noticeably lacking include health related quality of life (HRQOL). This paper describes HRQOL in an inner city sample of 287 HIV positive non-pregnant women, interviewed as part of a larger multi-site CDC funded study of the reproductive health of women. The average age of the respondents was 33 years and women had known their HIV status an average of 41 months. HRQOL was assessed using a 17-item modified version of the Medical Outcomes Study-HIV Health Survey and demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (0.64-0.89) and variability. Women in our study were similar to other HIV-positive female samples and reported lower levels of well-being and functioning than some HIV-positive male samples. Women's responses to individual items and areas of potential need for health care are discussed. Examination of HRQOL in women with HIV can aid in the comparison of how women and men are affected by HIV and can help health care professionals identify needed services and include possible interventions to promote quality of life.
ISSN:0962-9343
1573-2649
DOI:10.1023/A:1008909919456