Work

Perceptions of functional wellness in women living with HIV in South Carolina, United States: Voices from both patients and providers

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Functional wellness refers to optimal functioning across multiple domains of health and wellbeing (e.g., physical, psychological, social, spiritual), and posits that wellness goes beyond traditional physical/biological health outcomes to include behavioral and social dimensions of health. Its application could contribute to developing integrated care and improving self-management for HIV patients including women living with HIV (WLH). In order to explore the perceptions of functional wellness from the perspectives of both healthcare providers (HCPs) and WLH, we conducted in-depth interviews among a purposive sample of 20 WLH and 10 HCPs in South Carolina. Most of the WLH were African American, older, living in urban setting and diagnosed over five years ago. The HCPs were dominantly female and represented different types of healthcare providers. Qualitative analysis was guided by the ground theory and conducted using the software NVivo 11. The WLH and HCPs had some common perceptions on wellness. To achieve functional wellness, WLH should be living and functioning in their daily life, be able to take care of themselves and develop resilience, be engaged in social activities, and prevent themselves from comorbidities (e.g., chronic disease, mental health issues) by receiving holistic service in response to the needs of womanhood.

Source: AIDS Care

DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2020.1748865

Authors: Shan Qiao, LaDrea Ingram, Xiaoming Li, Sharon Beth Weissman

Institution: University of South Carolina

Language: English

Topic: HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development