OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the strength of association between the variables self-report of adherence to medication and problematic use of alcohol in a population of individuals with AIDS making use of HAART. METHOD: 103 patients with AIDS, using HAART for at least six months and which visited the infirmary of the Natan Portela Institute for Tropical Diseases (DNPITD), located in the city of Teresina-PI, were interviewed. The independent variable studied was problematic use of alcohol, and sociodemographical variables. The questionnaire used to evaluate the problematic use of alcohol was the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). The dependent variable evaluated in this study was the self-report of adherence to HIV treatment. For its measurement we chose to use the SQAM (Simplified Questionnaire of Adherence to Medication), for its simplicity and ease of application. RESULTS: The frequency of AUDIT > 08 was of 33%. The self-report of adherence, evaluated by the SQAM, was positive in 45% of the sample. Once tested the association between the frequency of positive SQAM and the positive AUDIT, a strong association was found between those variables (p = 0,004). CONCLUSION: We conclude from this study that the self-report of failure of adherence to HAART, gathered by the SQAM is a risk factor to the presence of problematic use of alcohol.
Alcohol; adherence; HAART; AIDS
