Despite 25 Years of Pandemic, U.S. Respondents Are Still Concerned about Stigma and Discrimination MEXICO CITY, Aug. 4
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from the groundbreaking AIDS
Treatment for Life International Survey (ATLIS), which polled nearly 3,000
HIV-positive patients from 18 countries, show that a concerning number of
people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States (U.S.) discontinue or
switch treatment regimens due to apprehension or experience with side effects
resulting from antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. ATLIS findings also reveal that
people living with HIV and AIDS in the U.S. still live in fear of the societal
stigma and discrimination that surround the disease although great strides
have been made in the past 25 years to promote awareness of and education
around HIV and AIDS. The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care
(IAPAC) released these and other ATLIS findings today at the 17th
International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008) in Mexico City, Mexico. The ATLIS
results were also simultaneously published in the July/August 2008 issue of
the peer-reviewed Journal of the International Association of Physicians in
AIDS Care (JIAPAC). ATLIS was made possible through an educational grant
provided by Merck & Co., Inc.
"This first-of-its-kind global survey shows that there are people living
with HIV and AIDS in the U.S. today who, despite having access to treatments,
are choosing not to start or to discontinue ARV therapy due to concerns about
side effects," said Martin Markowitz, M.D., an IAPAC member; Clinical Director
and Staff Investigator, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center; and Aaron Diamond
Professor at the Rockefeller University, New York, NY. "That so many patients
are deferring treatment in an age when we have so many options is regrettable.
As for those patients who repeatedly discontinue their therapy without
clinicians' guidance, there is a real danger of developing resistance to ARV
drugs. Furthermore, treatment interruption without medical monitoring may
result in accelerated disease progression. It is imperative that physicians
and patients address concerns about side effects openly and evaluate potential
new and different treatment options that may be more tolerable."
"Despite years of education and awareness-raising around HIV and AIDS,
there are today people living with HIV and AIDS in America who are concerned
about others knowing their HIV status because of societal discrimination and
stigma," said Jose M. Zuniga, Ph.D., President/CEO of IAPAC. "The survey
makes it clear that although the HIV community has made significant strides,
there is still a great deal of work needed to eradicate the stigma and
discrimination that continues to be associated with HIV disease."
In light of the ATLIS findings, IAPAC encourages a country-wide
call-to-action urging the HIV community to: 1) promote dialogue around
patients' quality of life as it relates to treatment potency, dosing
strategies, side effects and tolerability; 2) continue to address non-clinical
barriers to HIV treatment initiation and adherence, including stigma and
discrimination; and 3) continue to increase education and discussion to ensure
patients are better informed about their treatment and can assist in making
decisions about their ARV regimens.
Side Effects
Results from the U.S. portion of ATLIS show that concerns about side
effects may prevent patients from recognizing the value of antiretroviral
therapy (ART). Side effects were the most frequent reason (37.5 percent) U.S.
respondents indicated they chose to discontinue treatment. Additionally, 27.3
percent of respondents reported that they had elected not to seek treatment
because they believe that ART causes too many side effects. Further,
respondents indicated that the most common reason for changing the ARV drugs
in their treatment regimens was due to side effects (55.4 percent). Compared
to all respondents, those in the U.S. voiced substantially more concern over
many potential side effects (p < 0.05).
Discrimination and Stigma
Although the disease has been present in the U.S. for over 25 years, ATLIS
findings suggest that stigma remains a critical issue for HIV-positive people
here, particularly with regard to disclosure of their HIV status.
Approximately half of survey respondents (49.5 percent) are "very" or
"somewhat" concerned about others knowing their HIV status, with 83.7 percent
of those claiming this is predominantly due to concern about social
discrimination and stigma. With regard to disclosing their status,
respondents are also concerned about the impact on their ability to establish
future relationships (50.0 percent). U.S. respondents are most concerned
globally that their HIV-positive status could be damaging to their reputation
(50.0 percent).
About ATLIS
ATLIS is the largest, multi-country, comparative, treatment awareness
survey of people living with HIV and AIDS. Its main objectives were to:
-- Evaluate and understand treatment awareness and practices worldwide
-- Assess the different social and cultural factors that impact people
living with HIV and AIDS
-- Identify how currently available treatments affect the lives of
HIV-positive people
IAPAC worked with Ipsos Insight Health, an independent marketing research
firm, to survey HIV-positive adults from six regions in a convenience sample:
North America (United States), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico),
the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico), Europe (France,
Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom), Asia/Pacific (Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore), and Africa (South Africa).
ATLIS was conducted from March through May 2008 via a combination of
Internet, phone and in-person recruitment methods by Ipsos Insight Health.
Interviews were conducted with a total of 2,968 HIV-positive adults (2,049
male and 919 female). To mirror the actual population with HIV and AIDS,
specific effort was made to recruit both treatment-experienced and
treatment-naive respondents. All respondents signed
confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements prior to initiating the survey to
ensure any information they shared would be kept confidential in accordance
with local laws. The questionnaire itself was translated in local languages,
and was slightly tailored for each country to include socially acceptable
language and locally available treatment options.
The methodology used in the ATLIS study is quantitative. Results were
based upon a convenience sample of HIV-positive people within each of the
countries of interest. Results are summarized using percentages. Confidence
intervals are not given, however, 95 percent confidence intervals for
individual proportions based on the global sample (N = 2968) will have margins
of error within +/- 0.02. Confidence intervals for a proportion from a
specific segment will have larger margins of error (about +/- 0.07 for n = 200
and +/- 0.10 for n = 100).
About IAPAC
IAPAC represents more than 12,000 physicians and other healthcare
professionals in over 100 countries. IAPAC's mission is to craft and
implement global educational and advocacy strategies, as well as technical
assistance programs, designed to improve the quality of care provided to all
people living with HIV and AIDS.
For further information on IAPAC and ATLIS, please visit: www.iapac.org
Media Contacts: Thomas Eck Bora Lee
Cohn & WolfeCohn & Wolfe
(212) 798-9733 (212) 798-9522
thomas.eck@cohnwolfe.combora.lee@cohnwolfe.com
SOURCE International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care
