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Comparative Study
. 2018 Apr 23;18(1):537.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5474-x.

Gender difference in health related quality of life and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS attending anti-retroviral therapy at public health facilities, western Ethiopia: comparative cross sectional study

Delelegn Yilma Gebremichael  1 , Kokeb Tesfamariam Hadush  2 , Ermiyas Mulu Kebede  2 , Robel Tezera Zegeye  2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Gender difference in health related quality of life and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS attending anti-retroviral therapy at public health facilities, western Ethiopia: comparative cross sectional study

Delelegn Yilma Gebremichael et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Though HIV/AIDS has multidimensional consequences on quality of life, there is a gap in measuring and monitoring health related quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients. Hence, this study intended to measure health related quality of life domains and associated determinants among people living with HIV/AIDS in western Ethiopia.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 520 HIV/AIDS patients on anti-retroviral therapy in public health facilities in West Shoa Zone, Western Ethiopia from April to May, 2016. Participants were selected using simple random sampling method. Quality of life was measured using WHOQOL-HIV BREF and depression was assessed using Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. An independent sample t-test was used to compare quality of life domains between men and women and logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors.

Results: Females had significantly lower quality of life in physical, psychological, independence and environmental domains as compared with males except social relationship and spiritual domains. Depressed HIV patients had significantly lower quality of life in all domains as compared with HIV infected patients without depression in both genders. Malnutrition and anemia were significantly associated with poor physical, psychological, independence and environmental domains. Anemic women had 1.9 times lower independence quality of life compared with women who had no anemia (AOR = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.4, 3.5). Tuberculosis was also predictor of physical, psychological, independence and social domains in both genders. TB/HIV co-infected females had 2.0 times poorer environmental health compared to only HIV infected females (AOR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2, 3.5). Family support, education and occupation were also independent significant predictors of QOL domains in both genders. In females, residence was significantly associated with independence (AOR = 1.8, 95%CI: 1.2-3.8) and environmental (AOR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-3.2) domains.

Conclusions: Females had significantly lower quality of life compared with males. The findings indicted poor socio-economic status and co-infections significantly associated with poor quality of life among HIV/AIDS patients. So, due emphasis should be given to improve socio-economic status and enhance integrated early detection and management of malnutrition, depression, tuberculosis and anemia among HIV/AIDS patients in Ethiopia.

Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy; HIV/AIDS; Health related quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Ambo University. Following the approval by IRB, official letter of co-operation was written to the concerned bodies from the College of medicine and Health Sciences research office, about the purpose of the study to facilitate the support and commitment of responsible bodies. Written consent from each study subjects was taken. No personal identifiers were used on data collection forms and confidentiality was maintained.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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