A qualitative examination of the indirect effects of modified directly observed therapy on health behaviors other than adherence.

Modified directly observed therapy (mDOT), in which a portion of doses in a medication regimen are ingested under supervision, has had some demonstrated success in improving the high levels of adherence necessary to achieve maximum benefit from antiretroviral medications. Consistent with the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model, mDOT's success is likely due to its direct impact on patients' knowledge, motivation, and behaviors related to adherence. However, mDOT's potential impact on patients' information, motivation, and behaviors related to health activities other than adherence to antiretroviral medications has not been explored. Data from participants enrolled in Project MOTIV8, a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of novel behavioral adherence interventions, were analyzed to explore the potential impact of mDOT on health behaviors other than adherence. Participants were recruited from local HIV clinics from 2004-2008. Thirty-four percent of those approached, agreed to participate in the study. Data from all participants randomized to the mDOT intervention arm thus far (n = 50, mean age 39.7 standard deviation [SD] = 9.0, 78% male 64% African American, and 86% infected via sexual transmission) were included. Overall, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the mDOT intervention. Qualitative data revealed that mDOT had a positive impact on participants' adherence to nonantiretroviral medications as well as their involvement and communication with health care providers. In addition, participants reported that the daily mDOT visits had indirect effects on their daily functioning, including improvements in their daily living activities (e.g., earlier awakenings, getting dressed, and cleaning their homes) and an increased level of community involvement.