HIV Research & Clinical Practice (Apr 2019)

Quality of life of older women living with HIV: comparative assessment of physical and mental health-related markers using a large Canadian Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study

  • Roula Kteily-Hawa,
  • Nisha Andany,
  • Ying Wang,
  • Carmen H. Logie,
  • Wangari Tharao,
  • Tracey Conway,
  • Kath Webster,
  • Alexandra de Pokomandy,
  • Angela Kaida,
  • Robert Hogg,
  • Mona Loutfy,
  • (as senior author) on behalf of the CHIWOS Research Team

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/15284336.2018.1554373
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 2
pp. 35 – 47

Abstract

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Objective: This study assessed and compared physical and mental health components of quality of life (QoL) for older and younger women living with HIV (WLWH). Method: Using survey data from the Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study, demographic, well-being, and physical and mental health-related QoL (HR-QoL) variables were compared between older (≥50 years) and younger ( 0.001). Older WLWH had lower social support (p < 0.001) with no significant differences in depressive symptoms or resilience. Resilience was associated with improved physical HR-QOL. Food insecurity, poorer mental HR-QoL and depressive symptoms were associated with poorer physical health. Discussion: Compared to younger WLWH, older WLWH had poorer physical HR-QoL, which was associated with resilience, food insecurity and mental health factors, highlighting the complex interactions of health-related social-ecological factors impacting aging WLWH.

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