A multinational qualitative investigation of the perspectives and drivers of exercise and dietary behaviors in people living with HIV.

Globally, people living with HIV (PLWH) are at remarkably high risk for developing chronic comorbidities. While exercise and healthy eating reduce and mitigate chronic comorbidites, PLWH like many others, often fail to engage in recommended levels. We qualitatively examined the perspectives and contextual drivers of diet and exercise reported by PLWH and their health care providers.

Language and Culture in Health Literacy for People Living with HIV: Perspectives of Health Care Providers and Professional Care Team Members.

Low health literacy has been linked to inadequate engagement in care and may serve as a contributor to poor health outcomes among people living with HIV and AIDS. The purpose of this paper was to examine the perspectives of health care providers and professional care team members regarding health literacy in HIV disease. A secondary data analysis was conducted from a qualitative study aimed at understanding factors that help an HIV positive person to manage their HIV disease.

Building Trust and Relationships Between Patients and Providers: An Essential Complement to Health Literacy in HIV Care.

Health literacy is important for access to and quality of HIV care. While most models of health literacy acknowledge the importance of the patient-provider relationship to disease management, a more nuanced understanding of this relationship is needed. Thematic analysis from 28 focus groups with HIV-experienced patients (n = 135) and providers (n = 71) identified a long-term and trusting relationship as an essential part of HIV treatment over the continuum of HIV care.

Measuring health literacy among people living with HIV who attend a community-based ambulatory clinic in Puerto Rico.

Objective: Health literacy is an important area for interventions aimed at reducing or eliminating the health disparities of people living with HIV (PLWH). We sought to determine the level of functional health literacy (FHL) and its association with medication adherence, symptoms, and their attendant management strategies in PLWH.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 200 adults from a community-based ambulatory clinic in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A Qualitative Study of Providers' Perception of Adherence of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico.

This study examines healthcare providers' perceptions regarding experiences and factors that contribute to adherent and non-adherent behaviors to HIV treatment among women living with HIV infection in Puerto Rico and describes strategies implemented to improve adherence. Providers' accounts revealed that women with HIV infection are living "beyond their strengths" attempting to reconcile the burden of the illness and keep adherent. Factors putting women beyond their strengths and influencing non-adherence behavior were: gender-related demands, fear of disclosure, and treatment complexity.

Internal consistency of the Spanish health literacy test (TOFHLA-SPR) for Puerto Rico.

Background: Low functional health literacy has been related to poor viral control, and lower levels of ART adherence in people living with HIV/AIDS. Research in functional health literacy among people living with HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico (PR) is an unexplored area. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the full-length Spanish Version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA-S) scale was adapted to PR.

Symptoms and quality of life of people living with HIV infection in Puerto Rico.

Background: People living with HIV infection are confronted with physical and psychological symptoms that impact their quality of life. This study explored the symptom experience of people living with HIV infection in Puerto Rico and its correlation with quality of life.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to survey 44 men, women, and transgender people living with HIV infection.