Patients' answers to simple questions about treatment satisfaction and adherence and depression are associated with failure of HAART: a cross-sectional survey.

Psychosocial and behavioral factors have been shown to be associated with adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and treatment effectiveness. These factors have often been identified in selected populations through complex or time-consuming questionnaires. In this study we aimed at asking all the patients of a large population-based cohort receiving HAART a few short, explicit, and direct questions about these factors, and to examine the associations between their answers and prevalent treatment failure. All patients receiving HAART in western Denmark and central Copenhagen were offered participation. Participants answered a short, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire assessing psychosocial and behavioral factors and treatment adherence. Findings were linked with data on demographics, disease history, and treatment effect. Treatment failure was defined as two consecutive measurements of HIV-RNA above 400 copies per milliliter taken at least 14 days apart. Prevalence odds ratios we...