The impact of health literacy, neuropsychological impairment, and sociocultural factors on medication adherence in HIV+ adults
Abstract
The present study sought to understand how neuropsychological and sociocultural variables relate to health literacy, which ultimately impacts health outcomes. This study examined these variables among HIV+ Latinos, a group disproportionately affected by health disparities and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Study results identified higher levels of health literacy (specifically reading comprehension) as significantly related to neuropsychological variables, sociocultural variables, and both behavioral (e.g., medication adherence) and clinical (e.g., HIV viral load) health outcomes in HIV+ adults. This study also revealed that health literacy can be negatively impacted by a number of issues (e.g., poor neuropsychological functioning, low levels of education, Spanish language dominance, and low levels of U.S. acculturation). Despite clear influences of neuropsychological and sociocultural variables on health literacy, however, the multivariate model found that health literacy variables were the best predictors of both self-reported medication adherence and HIV viral load. Although health literacy accounted for only a small portion of the variance in these health outcomes, these results speak to the contribution of health literacy to both behavioral and biological aspects of HIV management. Overall, these results support the status of health literacy as an important target for improving health outcomes in HIV.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Health education|Hispanic American studies
Recommended Citation
Miranda, Caitlin, "The impact of health literacy, neuropsychological impairment, and sociocultural factors on medication adherence in HIV+ adults" (2015). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10182720.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10182720
