OBJECTIVE: The "Cuestionario para la Evaluación de la Adhesión al Tratamiento Antiretroviral" (Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire) is a self-administered instrument for the assessment of adherence rates to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients. The objective of the present study was to translate, adapt and validate the questionnaire for its use in Brazil. METHODS: The questionnaire was translated from the Spanish original into Brazilian Portuguese using the forward-backward translation method (Spanish/Portuguese/Spanish), followed by verbal assessment of understanding in a small group of patients. Then the instrument's psychometric properties were studied in a sample of 59 HIV-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy. Patients were interviewed in an HIV/AIDS clinic in the city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, between June and November 2005. The validation process of the questionnaire's reliability included the analysis of internal consistency, external criterion-related validity, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: The results showed the questionnaire's adequate reliability (alpha=0.64) and external criterion-related validity (viral load; r=-0.48; p<0.001). Adequate sensitivity (79.2%) and specificity (57.1%) for the detection of subjects with detectable versus undetectable viral loads were also found. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire proved to be useful, reliable and valid for the assessment of adherence rates to antiretroviral therapy in patients living with HIV.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Anti-HIV agents; Treatment outcome; Questionnaires; Translations; Validation studies
