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At‐Risk Alcohol Use is Associated with Antiretroviral Treatment Nonadherence Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS
Author(s) -
Paolillo Emily W.,
Gongvatana Assawin,
Umlauf Anya,
Letendre Scott L.,
Moore David J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13433
Subject(s) - medicine , logistic regression , alcohol abuse , alcohol , alcohol use disorder , antiretroviral therapy , viral load , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , stepwise regression , substance abuse , demographics , depression (economics) , young adult , risk factor , psychiatry , family medicine , demography , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Background Alcohol use is a risk factor for nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA); however, differences in ART adherence across levels of alcohol use are unclear. This study examined whether “at‐risk” alcohol use, defined by National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism guidelines, was associated with ART nonadherence among PLWHA. Methods Participants were 535 HIV‐infected adults enrolled in studies at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program. ART nonadherence was identified by either self‐reported missed dose or plasma viral load detectability (≥50 copies/ml). Potential covariates for multivariable logistic regression included demographics, depression, and substance use disorders. Results Using a stepwise model selection procedure, we found that at‐risk alcohol use (OR = 0.64; p = 0.032) and low education (OR = 1.09 per 1 year increase in education; p = 0.009) significantly predict lower ART adherence. Conclusions A greater focus on the treatment of at‐risk alcohol use may improve ART adherence among HIV‐infected persons.