PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS UNDER ART IN KASKI DISTRICT IN NEPAL: QUALITY OF LIFE AND RELATED FACTORS

Background: Assessing quality of life is an important aspect of clinical practice. HIV not only affects the physical well-being of an individual but also the overall Quality of life (QoL). The assessment of QoL is more important to understanding how the people's lives are affected by it. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of the HIV/AIDS on the quality of life of the infected individuals in Kaski district of Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 268 individuals attending antiretroviral therapy in ART center in Western regional hospital. Quality of life was evaluated with the help of World Health Organization Quality of life questionnaire (WHO QOL-HIV-BREF). SPSS version 22 was used for the data analysis. Results: People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal (PLWHA) were having the poor quality of life in psychological domain of QOL. Marital status (p-value 0.007), being employed (p-value 0.002), taking self-care (p-value < 0.001), and CD4 count (p-value 0.040) were the predictors for having the good QOL in PLWHA. Conclusion: Old age, being unemployed, and low CD4 count were associated with the low QOL. Lowest score in the psychological domain suggested the need of the psychological interventions in order to decrease the discrimination and to improve attitude in PLWHA.