Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Peter Anderson

Abstract

Medication adherence amongst HIV/AIDS infected individuals can be challenging for many reasons. I examined whether there was an association between mode of HIV transmission, such as sexual intercourse, mother to child, or IV drug use, and medication adherence among HIV+ individuals 18 years and older living in New York City. The theoretical base for this study was the Social Ecological Systems Theory. Logistic regression analyses were conducted on field data obtained from the New York State Medicaid Agency from 2015. Results indicated that transmission mode, age, race, and poverty level all have statistically significant associations with the dependent variable of medication adherence. The individuals most and least likely to adhere to ART were MSM and perinatal groups, respectively. Increased age predicted increased medication adherence rates, while increased poverty level predicted decreased medication adherence rates. Caucasian and Asian/Pacific Islander races had the highest rates of medication adherence, while Hispanics had lowest rates of adherence. Alternatively, there were no statistically significant relationships between New York City borough of residence or gender on an individual's medication adherence rate. This research contributed to filling a literature gap in the HIV field since no published literature to date had examined the association between transmission mode and ART medication adherence. This study's findings can be used to lead to a positive social change by allowing those in the HIV and public health fields to identify the varying needs of populations based on transmission mode, which could help individuals achieve long lasting medication adherence, and which in turn, could result in longer lives for those with HIV/AIDS.

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