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. 2018 Mar;22(3):791-799.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-016-1638-9.

Predictors of HIV Care Engagement, Antiretroviral Medication Adherence, and Viral Suppression Among People Living with HIV Infection in St. Petersburg, Russia

Yuri A Amirkhanian  1   2 , Jeffrey A Kelly  3 , Wayne J DiFranceisco  3 , Anna V Kuznetsova  4 , Sergey S Tarima  3 , Alexey A Yakovlev  4 , Vladimir B Musatov  4
Affiliations

Predictors of HIV Care Engagement, Antiretroviral Medication Adherence, and Viral Suppression Among People Living with HIV Infection in St. Petersburg, Russia

Yuri A Amirkhanian et al. AIDS Behav. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Over 1 million HIV infections have been diagnosed in Russia, and HIV care uptake and viral suppression are very low. 241 HIV-positive individuals in St. Petersburg were enrolled through social networks, provided blood for viral load testing, and completed measures of medication-taking adherence, readiness, and self-efficacy; psychosocial well-being; and substance use. Outcomes included attending an HIV care appointment in the past 6 months, >90% ART adherence, and undetectable viral load. 26% of participants had no recent care appointment, 18% had suboptimal adherence, and 56% had detectable viral load. Alcohol use consistently predicted all adverse health outcomes. Having no recent care visit was additionally associated with being single and greater past-month drug injection frequency. Poor adherence was additionally predicted by lower medication-taking self-efficacy and lower anxiety. Detectable viral load was additionally related to younger age. Comprehensive interventions to improve HIV care in Russia must address substance abuse, anxiety, and medication-taking self-efficacy.

Keywords: HIV care linkage and retention; HIV medical care; HIV services; HIV-positive; Persons living with HIV; Russia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethical Standards:

Author Yuri A. Amirkhanian declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Jeffrey A. Kelly declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Wayne J. DiFranceisco declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Anna V. Kuznetsova declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Sergey S. Tarima declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Alexey A. Yakovlev declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Author Vladimir B. Musatov declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

References

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    1. Interfax. [Accessed June 13, 2016];The Number of HIV-Positive Persons in Russia Officially Has Reached One Million. [In Russian] Available at: http://www.interfax.ru/russia/490634.
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    1. Amirkhanian YA, Kelly JA, Kuznetsova AV, DiFranceisco WJ, Musatov VB, Pirogov DG. People living with HIV in HAART-era Russia: transmission risk behavior prevalence, antiretroviral medication-taking, and psychosocial distress. AIDS Behav. 2010;15:767–777. - PMC - PubMed

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