A Pilot Study of Adherence to Oral Medication and Health Beliefs of Adolescents With HIV and Their Mothers
A Pilot Study of Adherence to Oral Medication and Health Beliefs of Adolescents With HIV and Their Mothers
The proposed study has two specific aims 1) to gather data about treatment adherence levels
 among adolescents (11-21 years) with HIV and 2) to obtain information about the adolescents
 and mothers' health beliefs and examine their relationship to the adolescents' adherence
 levels. This pilot study is designed to gather preliminary data about the feasibility of
 using several new measures with this population. To achieve these aims, a convenience sample
 of approximately 45 adolescents with HIV will re recruited. The adolescents and their mothers
 will complete a brief questionnaire about their health beliefs. A 24-hour recall interview
 format will be used to assess the adolescents' treatment adherence to prescribed oral
 medication. The adolescent will complete recall interviews on three random days over a two
 week period. Data analysis will be primarily descriptive, but will be used to generate more
 specific hypotheses for future research studies. The long-term goal of this research is to
 better identify adolescents with HIV at risk for non-adherence and design empirically derived
 interventions to improve their adherence levels. The health beliefs measure may also be
 useful in identifying irrational beliefs about the illness or treatment that can then be
 targeted for cognitive restructing in psychological interventions.
The proposed study has two specific aims 1) to gather data about treatment adherence levels
 among adolescents (11-21 years) with HIV and 2) to obtain information about the adolescents
 and mothers' health beliefs and examine their relationship to the adolescents' adherence
 levels. This pilot study is designed to gather preliminary data about the feasibility of
 using several new measures with this population. To achieve these aims, a convenience sample
 of approximately 45 adolescents with HIV will be recruited. The adolescents and their mothers
 will complete a brief questionnaire about their health beliefs. A 24-hour recall interview
 format will be used to assess the adolescents' treatment adherence to prescribed oral
 medication. The adolescent will complete recall interviews on three random days over a two
 week period. Data analysis will be primarily descriptive, but will be used to generate more
 specific hypotheses for future research studies. The long-term goal of this research is to
 better identify adolescents with HIV at risk for non-adherence and design empirically derived
 interventions to improve their adherence levels. The health beliefs measure may also be
 useful in identifying irrational beliefs about the illness or treatment that can then be
 targeted for cognitive restructing in psychological interventions.
Subjects must be between the ages of 11 and 21 years.

 Subjects must be diagnosed with HIV for at least one year (to ensure sufficient opportunity
 to experience living with a chronic condition such that adherence level is unlikely to be
 the result of skill or knowledge deficits).

 Subjects must be prescribed oral medications (e.g., pills, liquids, inhaler) to be taken on
 a daily basis.

 Subjects must be living with same female caregiver for at least one year.

 Subjects must have a telephone number where he/she can be contacted during the two weeks
 after recruitment.

 The adolescent and mother must be able to provide informed consent.

 Adolescents must not have mental retardation or developmental delay that would prevent the
 adolescent from reading and comprehending the questionnaire.