Table I.
Baseline characteristics of participants, by study arm
| Characteristic | N |
DOT-HAART group (n=200)
N (%), mean ± SD, or median [IQR] |
Control group (n=156)
N (%), mean ± SD, or median [IQR] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic characteristics | |||
| Female | 356 | 71 (36) | 57 (37) |
| Age (years) | 356 | 33 [27, 40.5] | 32.5 [26, 40] |
| Originally from Lima | 356 | 119 (60) | 86 (55) |
| Married or living with partner | 356 | 70 (35) | 51 (33) |
| Number of children | 356 | 1 (0, 2) | 1 (0, 3) |
| Did not complete high school | 353 | 102 (52) | 79 (51) |
| Poverty score | 356 | 36 (30, 41) | 35 (29.5, 41) |
| Food insecurity status | 348 | ||
| Food secure | 37 (19) | 26 (17) | |
| Mildly insecure | 18 (9) | 11 (7) | |
| Moderately insecure | 64 (33) | 42 (27) | |
| Severely insecure | 75 (39) | 75 (49) | |
| No full-time employment* | 356 | 118 (59) | 103 (66) |
| Difficulty accessing health services | 350 | 177 (90) | 138 (90) |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Months with diagnosis at cART initiation | 355 | 3.6 [1.8, 12.0] | 2.6 [1.4, 13.9] |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 355 | 22.4 ± 3.8 | 22.2 ± 3.7 |
| CD4 (cells/μL) | 337 | 174 [69, 262] | 128.5 [57, 254] |
| Viral load (copies/ml) | 336 | 145511 [40103, 356193] | 143571 [36121, 437653] |
| Prior HAART | 356 | 12 (6) | 6 (4) |
| Co-morbidities | |||
| Any substance use disorder | 340 | 54 (28) | 52 (35) |
| TB disease | 356 | 38 (19) | 33 (21) |
| Psychosocial variables | |||
| Social support score | 349 | 27.3 ± 6.1 | 27.2 ± 6.2 |
| Perceived HIV-related stigma | 350 | 52.4 ± 9.8 | 54.3 ± 12.0 |
| Depression | 340 | 25 (13) | 11 (7) |
The following responses were classified as not having full-time employment: house-wife, student, seasonal employees or unemployed.
Individuals were defined as having difficulty accessing health services if they reported any of the following on a standardized Likert-type scale: never being admitted to a hospital without difficulty when in need of hospital services; never easily able to get to places where s/he could receive health services; always or sometimes having to solve own health problems without medical services because they were too expensive; always or sometimes having difficulty accessing health services in case of an emergency; or needing health services in the six months prior to interview but unable to get them.