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Aims and objectivesTo get a deeper understanding of correlates of perceived HIV‐related fatigue by exploring its associations with sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity level of HIV‐infected people.BackgroundPrevious studies on HIV‐related fatigue have mainly focused on physiological and psychological characteristics, but few have considered its associations with sociodemographic variables. In addition, while physical activity has been found to reduce acute fatigue among HIV‐infected people, its links with chronic HIV‐related fatigue remain to be explored.DesignThe study employed an observational and cross‐sectional survey design. The manuscript was organised according to STROBE guidelines.MethodA total of 560 people living with HIV in France completed a measure of perceived physical fatigue using the Fatigue Intensity Scale. The predictors targeted sociodemographic characteristics and two measures of individuals' reported level of physical activity. Data were analysed by a stepwise multiple regression model.ResultsThe results showed that lower age, higher physical activity level and socio‐economic status were significantly associated with reduced perceived physical fatigue, explaining 25% of the variance.ConclusionsThe results highlighted the importance of considering sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics to better characterise HIV‐related fatigue, in particular in an era where HIV as a chronic illness challenges questions of quality of life throughout increasingly longer lifespans.Relevance to clinical practiceThe results of this study have implications for HIV care professionals in terms of improving strategies for managing chronic fatigue or promoting physical activity according to more specific profiles of HIV‐infected people.

This article takes a new direction in exploring HIV-related fatigue by adopting a qualitative interactionist approach. We analyse the social meanings attributed to fatigue among people living with HIV in France, the social gains and losses of its visibility and the social frames that condition its discursive and physical expression. The two-part methodology combines grounded theory analysis of 50 transcribed unstructured interviews conducted across France and participant observations within four HIV-related associations. Results reveal that the visibility of fatigue is in part dependent on the visibility of this stigmatized illness. The expression of fatigue is therefore closely linked with disclosure and concerns about HIV stigma. The degree to which HIV and HIV-related fatigue are rendered (in)visible also depends on structural factors including gender prescriptions, as well as context effects such as the type of social or 'care' relations involved in the social frame of interaction.

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