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Numeracy Skills Explain Racial Differences in HIV Medication Management

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Abstract

Racial disparities in HIV/AIDS are well established and efforts to understand key factors that may explain these differences are needed. Recent evidence suggests that health literacy may contribute to disparities in health behaviors among African American HIV patients. One component of health literacy, numeracy, is emerging as an important skill for successful self management of medications. We therefore tested whether numeracy mediated the effects of race on medication management among HIV seropositive patients. Results showed that poor management of a simulated HIV medication regimen among African Americans and women was mediated by lower numeracy. Poor medication self-management may be a significant root cause for health disparities in African Americans with HIV/AIDS. Whether African American women may be at particular risk requires further study. Interventions to improve HIV medication self-management through addressing numeracy skills may help to narrow the gap in health disparities among African Americans with HIV/AIDS.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Raymond L. Ownby, M.D., Ph.D. for his invaluable guidance and suggestions on this manuscript. This study was supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health grant number MH74664 to the lead author, D. Waldrop-Valverde.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 NW 14th Street, Suite 1409A (D21), Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Drenna Waldrop-Valverde, Mahendra Kumar & Deborah L. Jones

  2. Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Chandra Y. Osborn & Russell L. Rothman

  3. Department of Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Allan Rodriguez

Authors
  1. Drenna Waldrop-Valverde
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  2. Chandra Y. Osborn
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  3. Allan Rodriguez
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  4. Russell L. Rothman
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  5. Mahendra Kumar
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  6. Deborah L. Jones
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Correspondence to Drenna Waldrop-Valverde.

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Waldrop-Valverde, D., Osborn, C.Y., Rodriguez, A. et al. Numeracy Skills Explain Racial Differences in HIV Medication Management. AIDS Behav 14, 799–806 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9604-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9604-4

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