Table 3.
Factors Identified as “Important” Barriers to HIV Care and ART Use (Not Mutually Exclusive) Among CAPP Participants Who Completed a Survey
| Barriers to HIV xare (N=247) | Reasons for never starting ART (N=60) | Reasons for discontinuing ART (N=138) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At least one “important” barrier reported | 219 (89%) | At least one “important” barrier reported | 57 (95%) | At least one “important” barrier reported | 133 (96%) |
| No insurance | 124 (50%) | Side effect concerns | 46 (77%) | Depressed | 62 (45%) |
| Forget appointments | 83 (34%) | Can control HIV with a healthy attitude, at least for now | 35 (58%) | Wanted a break | 57 (41%) |
| Trouble getting appointments | 79 (32%) | Adherence concerns | 33 (55%) | Side effects | 57 (41%) |
| Costs not covered by insurance are too higha | 75 (30%) | Depressed | 28 (47%) | Non-adherent, worried about resistance | 56 (41%) |
| No transportation | 70 (28%) | Doctor said I don't currently need ART | 28 (47%) | Couldn't afford med | 43 (31%) |
| Don't know how to find doctor | 64 (26%) | CD4 count high | 27 (45%) | Couldn't get med due to reason other than cost | 38 (28%) |
| Poor relationship with doctor | 65 (26%) | People might find out about HIV | 16 (27%) | Using drugs | 36 (26%) |
| Homelessness | 59 (24%) | Using drugs | 10 (17%) | Health problems interfered with taking meds | 31 (22%) |
| Using drugs | 56 (23%) | Need more time to adjust to being HIV+ | 11 (18%) | Homelessness | 29 (21%) |
| Don't need a doctor | 48 (19%) | Prefer alternative therapy | 13 (22%) | Didn't need meds | 28 (20%) |
| Doctor wasn't helpful in the past | 49 (19%) | Other things in life more important right now | 11 (18%) | Meds weren't helping | 24 (17%) |
| Prefer alternative therapies | 43 (17%) | God is helping me with HIV and that's enough | 10 (17%) | ||
| Depression or other mental health issuesa | 7 (3%) | Homelessness | 10 (17%) | ||
CAPP, The Care and Antiretroviral Promotion Program; ART, antiretroviral therapy.
a
These factors were not systematically assessed as barriers. Only who described these factors in the open ended question about “other” significant barriers are included.