The Relationship between Health Promoting Lifestyle and Quality of Life in People with HIV+ in Tabriz, 2018

Abstract

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Health-promoting behavior and healthy lifestyle are the key strategies for maintaining the public health. In HIV/AIDS patients, the quality of life is affected by the disease and their experience of exclusion, stigma, and discrimination, which can lead to physical, psychological, and social problems. This study aimed to determine the relationship of health-promoting lifestyle and its subscales with the quality of life among HIV-positive patients in Tabriz. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study conducted on 126 HIV-positive patients having records at the High-Risk Behavior Center of Tabriz in 2018. A demographic questionnaire was used along with the World Health Organization Quality of Life in HIV-Infected Persons (WHOQOL-HIV-BREF) Scale to collect data. Findings: The mean (standard deviation) overall health-promoting lifestyle score of HIV-positive patients was 2.35 (0.43). Participants had the highest mean score on the subscale of health responsibility 2.62 (0.54) and the lowest mean score on the subscale of physical activity 1.95 (0.62). The mean (standard deviation) score of quality of life for HIV-positive patients was 54.86 (19.68). Patients had the highest mean score on the subscale of physical health 57.29 (20.18) and the lowest mean score on the subscale of interpersonal relationships 42.08 (20.17). The overall score of health-promoting lifestyle and its subscales were positively and significantly correlated with the quality of life, physical health, psychological health, independence, social relationships, and environmental health (P<0.0001; r= 0.649 to 0.398). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between the overall score of health-promoting lifestyle and the spiritual subscale of quality of life (P=0.898). Discussion and Conclusion: Different aspects of health-promoting lifestyle and quality of life were significantly correlated with each other among HIV-positive patients. Therefore, engaging HIV-positive patients in a health-promoting lifestyle is recommended to improve their quality of life.