Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and undergoing outpatient follow-up at a university hospital in the Amazon region (Belém, PA).
Methods
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected in November and December 2019 using a form with sociodemographic variables and the specific WHOQOL-HIV Bref instrument. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The inferential analysis of the WHOQOL-HIV Bref instrument was performed using the Spearman correlation test between the quality-of-life domains.
Results
A total of 208 patients were interviewed. They were born with male biological sex (66.3%), heterosexual (67.3%), and aged 36-55 years (57.2%). The highest mean score was found in the spiritual domain (17.1±2.8) and the lowest in the independence-level domain (4.2±2.8). In general, moderate positive correlations were observed; only the correlation between the independence level and spirituality domains was not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Conclusion
The results suggest that social and religious support, employment, and access to health services can improve the quality of life of PLWHA in the Amazon region. More research on the quality of life of PLWHA is necessary to improve public policies equitably and equally in Brazil, especially in the Brazilian Amazon where a continuous increase in the number of PLWHA has occurred.
HIV; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Quality of life; Surveys and questionnaires