OBJECTIVE:To assess quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. METHODS:Cross-sectional study conducted in an AIDS outpatient service based on consecutive sampling during the second half of the year 2002. There were selected 365 men and women aged 18 years or older who were attended by the infectious disease physician. Sociodemographic and recent drug use variables and data on clinical conditions were obtained using a questionnaire and quality of life was analyzed using WHOQOL-bref. RESULTS:Scores of the four domains (physical, psychological, social relationships and environment) were very similar. There were statistically signifi cant differences in mean scores for the environment domain according to skin color, with blacks and pardos having lower scores. Women also had the lowest scores for the psychological and environmental domains. Higher income was signifi cantly associated to higher scores in all domains of quality of life, except for the social relationships domain. Subjects with CD4+ cell counts below 200 cells/mm 3 had lower scores for the physical domain. In all domains signifi cantly lower scores were seen for those receiving psychiatric treatment or with an indication for such treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in sex, skin color, income, and mental and immunological status, people living with HIV/AIDS have better (physical and psychological) quality of life than other patients but lower quality in social relationships domain. The latter domain could refl ect stigmatization and discrimination associated to the diffi culties of disclosing their HIV status in social settings and for a safe sex life.KEY WORDS: Acquired immunodefi ciency syndrome, psychology. Quality of life. Life style. Socioeconomic factors. Cross-sectional studies.

The use of race/color as an analytical category provides opportunities to understand better how social interactions, in the context of gender and socioeconomic conditions, create and recreate disadvantages for black women and their exposure to health risks, and also impose limits on the way they use of resources for their healthcare.

Incarcerated women as a group are particularly vulnerable to infections. The lack of public programs for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment contribute to the increase in the incidence and prevalence of diseases in general and especially sexually transmitted diseases. This article aims to estimate the prevalence of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human papillomavirus (HPV), and syphilis among inmates at the Women's Penitentiary in the State capital of São Paulo, Brazil. All inmates were invited to participate in the study, which was divided into two stages: 1. STD/AIDS preventive workshops including interviews and 2. laboratory tests. The interview covered knowledge of STD/AIDS, risk behavior, and individual reproductive health history. A total of 262 women, with a mean age of 32.4 years and limited schooling, participated in more than one stage of the study. Prevalence rates were 14.5% for HIV, 16.3% for high-oncogenic-risk HPV probes, 4.8% for low-oncogenic-risk HPV probes, and 5.7% for syphilis. The authors conclude that STD/HIV constitute a serious health problem in the prison system, requiring urgent preventive measures.

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