Evaluation of health literacy among men who have sex with men with living HIV

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: Sep 30, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31524/bkkmedj.2023.21.008
Keywords:
HIV, Health literacy, Men who have sex with men, MSM,

Main Article Content

Sitthiphon Bunman
Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand.
Prakasit Wannapaschaiyong
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Narongpon Dumavibhat
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Tirathat Virojskulchai
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Aphicha Nomsiri
Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand.
Anan Malarat
Faculty of Physical Education, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sonthaya Saiyasalee
Faculty of Science and Health Technology, Kalasin University, Kalasin, Thailand.

Abstract

OOBJECTIVES: The study aimed to investigate health literacy among men who have sex with men with living HIV and factors associated with adequate health literacy.


MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is a cross-sectional survey. Participants were 203 HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants were evaluated on health literacy and associated factors.


RESULTS: Participants were aged an average 34.54 ± 10.18 years, and 79.2% had a bachelor’s degree or higher education level. Most participants (62.5%) had 15,001-25,000 Thai baht monthly income. 45.8 % of participants had been diagnosed with HIV infection for over 1 year but less than 5 years. Most participants (88.2%) had a CD4 count of more than 200 cells/cm3, and more participants (70.4%) had a viral load of less than 20 copies/ml. The majority (66%) had adequate health literacy, and an average score was 15.41. The level of health literacy was significantly associated with education, duration of HIV infection, CD4 count, viral load, and cryptococcosis (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively).


CONCLUSION: Almost all men who have sex with men have adequate health literacy. Education, duration of HIV infection, CD4 count, viral load, and cryptococcosis were associated with level of health literacy. 

Article Details

How to Cite
1.
Bunman S, Wannapaschaiyong P, Dumavibhat N, Virojskulchai T, Nomsiri A, Malarat A, Saiyasalee S. Evaluation of health literacy among men who have sex with men with living HIV. BKK Med J [Internet]. 2023 Sep. 30 [cited 2024 Nov. 22];19(2):116. Available from: https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/bkkmedj/article/view/265195
Issue
Vol. 19 No. 2 (2023): September
Section
Original Article
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

References

Magiorkinis G, Angelis K, Mamais I, et al. The global spread of HIV-1 subtype B epidemic. Infect Genet Evol 2016;46:169-79.

De Cock KM, Jaffe HW, Curran JW. Reflections on 40 Years of AIDS. Emerg Infect Dis 2021;27(6):1553-60.

Katz DA, Dombrowski JC, Bell TR, et al. HIV Incidence Among Men Who Have Sex With Men After Diagnosis With Sexually Transmitted Infections. Sex Transm Dis 2016;43(4):249-54.

Nguyen LH, Tran BX, Rocha LEC, et al. A Systematic Review of eHealth Interventions Addressing HIV/STI Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex With Men. AIDS Behav 2019;23(9):2253-72.

Wawrzyniak AJ, Ownby RL, McCoy K, et al. Health literacy: impact on the health of HIV-infected individuals. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2013;10(4):295-304.

Walker RL, Hong JH, Talavera DC, et al. Health literacy and current CD4 cell count in a multiethnic U.S. sample of adults living with HIV infection. Int J STD AIDS 2018;29(5):498-504.

Rebeiro PF, McPherson TD, Goggins KM, et al. Health Literacy and Demographic Disparities in HIV Care Continuum Outcomes. AIDS Behav 2018;22(8):2604-14.

Perazzo J, Reyes D, Webel A. A Systematic Review of Health Literacy Interventions for People Living with HIV. AIDS Behav 2017;21(3):812-21.

Bunman S, Khawcharoenporn T, Malarat A, et al. THAI VERSION OF HIV HEALTH LITERACY TEST FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV. SEATROPH 2022;51 (4):498-506.

Laws MB, Danielewicz M, Rana A, et al. Health literacy in HIV treatment: accurate understanding of key biological treatment principles is not required for good ART adherence. AIDS Behav 2015;19(4):635-44.

Palumbo R. Discussing the Effects of Poor Health Literacy on Patients Facing HIV: A Narrative Literature Review. Int J Health Policy Manag 2015;4(7):417-30.

Kalichman SC, Rompa D. Functional Health Literacy Is Associated With Health Status and Health-Related Knowledge in People Living With HIV-AIDS. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000;25(4).

Friedman MR, Stall R, Silvestre AJ, et al. Effects of syndemics on HIV viral load and medication adherence in the multicentre AIDS cohort study. Aids 2015;29(9):1087-96.

He L, Yang J, Ma Q, et al. Reduction in HIV community viral loads following the implementation of a "Treatment as Prevention" strategy over 2 years at a population-level among men who have sex with men in Hangzhou, China. BMC Infect Dis 2018;18(1):62.

Gill CJ, Griffith JL, Jacobson D, et al. Relationship of HIV viral loads, CD4 counts, and HAART use to health-related quality of life. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2002;30(5):485-92.

Brewer R, Hood KB, Moore M, et al. An Exploratory Study of Resilience, HIV-Related Stigma, and HIV Care Outcomes Among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) Living with HIV in Louisiana. AIDS Behav 2020;24(7):2119-29.