Gender Differences in Medication Management Capacity in HIV Infection: The Role of Health Literacy and Numeracy

Abstract

Health literacy is emerging as a key element for successful medication management and empirical support for the efficacy of numeracy in the health context is rising as well. Little is known, however, about their unique effects among women and men. Given the importance of accurate medication management for effective treatment of HIV, the relation of these variables to medication management needs to be assessed. We therefore tested the relation of health literacy (reading comprehension) and numeracy to one's ability to manage a "mock" HIV regimen and whether men and women differed in these abilities. Results showed that women were less able than men to follow medication instructions and answer questions about the mock regimen. Numeracy mediated the relationship between gender and medication management. These findings highlight skills used in managing medication regimens and suggest avenues to target for identification and intervention in medication management among women and men with HIV.

‘Not Until I'm Absolutely Half-Dead and Have To:’ Accounting for Non-Use of Antiretroviral Therapy in Semi-Structured Interviews with People Living with HIV in Australia

“…The capacity of individuals to make informed decisions about health care and treatment also varies, and can be influenced by age, cognitive capacity, substance dependence, and many other factors. 35,[40][41][42][43][44] Views on medications are also diverse, and can diverge dramatically from those recognized as valid or evidence based in biomedicine. However, as is well recognized in the literature, consumers have always made sense of medications in their own ways, often becoming 'naïve scientists' who generate their own conclusions about what medicines do, and even choosing to change dosages or stop using medications for a period to observe the effects.…”

“…31,[37][38][39] Other factors that influence the uptake of ART in Australia and comparable settings include an individual's capacity to make informed treatment decisions, such as health literacy and decision making ability. 40,41 Tolerance of psychological and physical distress and discomfort, 42 problems with illicit drug use, 43,44 and the views of medical providers may also influence decisions to use ART. 45,46 Although this is a broad body of literature, there have been no recent studies published that provide a more contemporary examination of the non-use of ART in a diverse sample of people with HIV.…”

The impact of visa status and Medicare eligibility on people diagnosed with HIV in Western Australia: a qualitative report

“…Indeed, health literacy and numeracy may have contributed to the successful medication adherence and persistence seen in this group, together with clinic protocols for adherence monitoring and counselling. 16,17 Only one of the participants expressed concern that generic drugs might not be effective, since he was not experiencing the side-effects that he had when taking a patented combination. This is in contrast with a recent study by Bulsara and colleagues, 18 who found that Western Australians were suspicious of foreign generic manufacturers and sceptical about generic drug bioequivalence.…”

Discussing the Effects of Poor Health Literacy on Patients Facing HIV: A Narrative Literature Review

“…75 As well, through multivariate regression models examining the associations among race, literacy, and HIV-medication adherence in a convenience sample of HIV infected patients recruited from two different clinics, Osborn and colleagues 76 found that health literacy mediated the relationship between race and poor HIV-medication adherence, performing as a significant independent predictor of nonadherence. Waldrop-Valverde et al 77 expanded these findings, suggesting that health literacy skills -especially functional ones -mediated the impacts of gender on the appropriate medication management of HIV. From this point of view, it could be argued that health literacy plays an important role in attenuating social disparities in the access to care and enhancing the proper treatment of HIV-related conditions.…”