Diet quality of persons living with HIV/AIDS on highly active antiretroviral therapy

Background This study sought to assess the diet quality of individuals living with HIV/AIDS who were receiving antiretroviral therapy in Sao Paulo Brazil,. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 56 HIV-infected adults. Demographic and anthropometric data were collected, and diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), modified for Brazilians, which included ten components: adequacy of intake of six different food groups, total fat, cholesterol, dietary fibre and dietary variety. Results Among the individuals assessed, 64.3% of the participants had a diet needing improvement, while 8.7% had a poor diet. The overall HEI score was 68.3 points (SD = 14.9). Mean scores were low for fruits, vegetables, dairy products and dietary fibre; and high for meats and eggs, total fat and cholesterol. The overall HEI score was higher among individuals who were not overweight (P = 0.003), who were also more likely to achieve dietary goals for dairy products (P = 0.039) and grains (P = 0.005). Conclusion Most of these adults living with HIV/AIDS had diets that required improvement, and being overweight was associated with poorer diet quality. Nutritional interventions aimed at maintaining healthy body weight and diet should be taken into account in caring for HIV-infected people.

Self-reported Body Changes and Associated Factors in Persons Living with HIV

The study aimed at verifying the associated factors of self-perceived body changes in adults living with HIV in highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This cross-sectional study was conducted among people living with HIV on HAART for at least three months. A standardized questionnaire was used for assessing self-perceived body changes. Associated factors relating to self-reported body changes in people living with HIV (PLHIV) were assessed with Student`s t-test and chi-square test. In total, 507 patients were evaluated. The mean time since diagnosis was 6.6 years [standard deviation (SD)+/-4.1], and the mean duration of HAART was 5.1 years (SD+/-3.3). Self-perceived body changes were reported by 79.5% of the participants and were associated with viral load and duration of HAART. Fibre intake was lower among males who gained in abdominal fat (p=0.035). HAART-related body changes were reported by the large majority of the population and were associated with demographic and clinical variables.

What is important for you? A qualitative interview study of living with diabetes and experiences of diabetes care to establish a basis for a tailored Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for the Swedish National Diabetes Register

OBJECTIVES: There is a growing emphasis on the perspective of individuals living with diabetes and the need for a more person-centred diabetes care. At present, the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) lacks patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) based on the perspective of the patient. As a basis for a new PROM, the aim of this study was to describe important aspects in life for adult individuals with diabetes. DESIGN: Semistructured qualitative interviews analysed using content analysis. SETTING: Hospital-based outpatient clinics and primary healthcare clinics in Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: 29 adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=15) and type 2 DM (n=14). INCLUSION CRITERIA: Swedish adults (≥18 years) living with type 1 DM or type 2 DM (duration ≥5 years) able to describe their situation in Swedish. Purposive sampling generated heterogeneous characteristics. RESULTS: To live a good life with diabetes is demanding for the individual, but experienced barriers can be eased by support from others in the personal sphere, and by professional support from diabetes care. Diabetes care was a crucial resource to nurture the individual's ability and knowledge to manage diabetes, and to facilitate life with diabetes by supplying support, guidance, medical treatment and technical devices tailored to individual needs. The analysis resulted in the overarching theme 'To live a good life with diabetes' constituting the two main categories 'How I feel and how things are going with my diabetes' and 'Support from diabetes care in managing diabetes' including five different categories. CONCLUSIONS: Common aspects were identified including the experience of living with diabetes and support from diabetes care. These will be used to establish a basis for a tailored PROM for the NDR.

Learning to take charge : women's experiences of living with endometriosis

This paper describes aspects of a study that was conducted to determine women's needs for information related to laparoscopy for endometriosis. Sixty-one women attended focus groups, during which they described endometriosis as a disease of multiple losses: of relationships, of career and of a sense of self-worth. The women indicated that the pathway to diagnosis and treatment had been long and unnecessarily difficult. Many women said that they had reached a point where they decided enough was enough: the medical merry-go-round had to finish. They had to become assertive, take control and decide for themselves how they were going to manage their disease and their quality of life. For all but one woman in the study, complementary therapies were vital. For some women, alternative therapies had replaced allopathic medicine completely. Complementary/alternative therapies were a mechanism for regaining control.

Australian women`s experiences of living with hepatitis C virus: results from a cross-sectional survey

Background: Of the estimated 160 000 Australians currently infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), over one-third are women and very few have received clinical treatment, with most managing their illness in non-specialist settings. Little is known about the experiences of women living with HCV in the general community. The present study provides the results from the first comprehensive social survey of Australian women's experiences of living with HCV.

Methods: In 2000, a questionnaire was administered to a largely non-clinical sample of women with HCV (n = 462) living in the state of Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The questionnaire was self-administered with a return rate of 75%. The mean age was 35 years and 83% were 'current' or 'past' injecting drug users. The mean time since diagnosis was 4.6 years (SD = 4.0) and the mean time since infection was 10.5 years (SD = 8.2).

Results: Fifty-eight percent of women reported experiencing symptoms related to their HCV, the most common being tiredness (78%) and nausea (44%). Of the sample, 56% currently saw a doctor for their HCV, and while 52% had ever been referred to a specialist, only 17% of the total sample had ever begun interferon-based combination or monotherapy. Forty-eight percent of women reported experiencing less favorable treatment by a health professional because of their HCV. Age-related self-assessed health status was significantly lower than Australian norms, as were SF-12 physical and mental health scores. The SF-12 physical and mental health scores were highly correlated, indicating a significant physical and mental health burden associated with HCV.

Conclusion: The social, physical and mental health needs of women living with HCV are considerable. Most women had not accessed specialist treatment and the response of the primary health care system to HCV-related women's health issues requires improvement.

The experiences of living with a person with an eating disorder: the impact on the carers

Using a combination of focus groups and individual in-depth interviews, the experience of living with a person with an eating disorder was explored in 24 carers. Attention was given to the progression of the disorder to understand its impact upon the family throughout the stages of the illness. Caring for a person with an eating disorder impacted upon the primary carer and the family throughout the course of the illness. Despite this, the impact on the carers was seldom acknowledged and the needs of these carers and their families were unrecognized and neglected by health professionals.

Screening Michael Jackson's face : reading Martin Bashir's living with Michael Jackson

The screening of Martin Bashir's Living with Michael Jackson on Australian television elicited a phenomenal amount of interest in the news media, at water coolers and on the Internet. Much of the response in the Australian print media was critical of Bashir's representation of Jackson, as well as denouncing Jackson as sad victim, warped predator and allround freakshow. This article considers these interpretations to argue that the production and consumption of 'wacko Jacko' is underpinned by the increasing instability of the natural in an age of information technologies, as well as the collapse of boundaries between documentary and fictional entertainment forms.