HIV & Aging

The effects of HIV disease and HIV treatments on healthy weight have been a concern since the early days of the epidemic. Yet the associations between changes in weight, antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, body dissatisfaction, and sociocultural factors are complex and not well understood. The purpose of this study was to better understand how people with HIV (PWH) experience effects such as weight change in their daily lives and their satisfaction with their body image in the context of ART and sociocultural factors, since these experiences can influence adherence to ART, sexual risk, and other health behaviors. The study also explored the impact of aging on attitudes toward weight change, healthy weight, and appearance.

This qualitative study was a collaboration between Brookdale and Amida Care, a managed care special needs plan for people with or at risk for HIV. We interviewed 61 participants recruited through Amida Care. Using an inductive thematic approach, we identified four themes: weight changes were attributed to external and internal factors; weight management was seen as an individual responsibility; feeling in control of one’s health was linked to body image satisfaction; and one’s sense of control related to health behaviors in divergent ways. Low perceived control could interfere with recommended behaviors, but some long-term survivors focused on controlling what they could.

Findings from this project have been published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Findings were first presented in posters at the International AIDS Society conference in July 2023 and the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in June 2024. Additional findings were presented as part of a symposium at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in November 2023.

Dr. Mark Brennan-Ing, director of research and evaluation at Brookdale, and Dr. Jerome Ernst, chief medical officer at Amida Care, were the Principal Investigators on this study, which was funded by Gilead Sciences.