Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40810882›Full record

ArticleAIDS and behavior2026

Understanding Perceived Pill Burden in Older Adults with HIV: Exploring Clinical and Demographic Determinants.

Chukwuemeka N Okafor, Deanna Ware, Liddy Kasraian, Deborah Gustafson, Valentina Stosor, Steven Meanley, Steve Shoptaw, Sabina Haberlen, Mackey Friedman, Michael Plankey

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in AIDS and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Chukwuemeka N OkaforDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Health & School of Public Health, San Antonio, TX, USA. okaforcn@uthscsa.edu.
Deanna WareDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University Medical Center, District of Columbia, Washington, USA.
Liddy KasraianDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University Medical Center, District of Columbia, Washington, USA.
Deborah GustafsonDepartment of Neurology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
Valentina StosorDivisions of Infectious Diseases and Organ Transplantation, Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Steven MeanleyDepartment of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA.
Steve ShoptawDepartment of Family Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Sabina HaberlenDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
Mackey FriedmanDepartment of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, US.
Michael PlankeyDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University Medical Center, District of Columbia, Washington, USA.

Funding

UCLA Rapid, Relevant, Rigorous Implementation Science HubP30MH058107 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Sung-Jae Lee · 1997 to 2026
$53.5M
PrEP and substance use among sexual minority young adultsK01DA047918 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · PI WATSON, RYAN J · 2019 to 2023
$952k
Development of a Behavioral Economic Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk BehaviorsR34DA060078 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Chukwuemeka Nkemakonam Okafor, Jin Ho Yoon · 2024 to 2026
$735k
NIDA NIH HHS K01DA047918NIDA NIH HHS R34DA060078NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH058107
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Older persons with HIV (PWH) with comorbidities may experience increased perceived pill burden - a subjective experience of the demands associated with taking medications to sustain their health. The objective of this analysis was to examine the demographic, psychosocial, and HIV-related clinical factors associated with perceived pill burden in a sample of middle-aged and older PWH. Data came from men with HIV (MWH) aged ≥ 40 years from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Dependent variables were: [1] Pill frequency burden ("The number of times each day I am supposed to take my pills is too often") and [2] pill quantity burden ("The total number of pills I am supposed to take is too much") were assessed and dichotomized as "Agree" (indicating burden) versus a combined category of "Neither Agree/Disagree" and "Disagree" (indicating no burden). Participants (n = 586) had a median age of 59 years (IQR: 54-65), with 56.8% identifying as White non-Hispanic. In adjusted logistic regression model, significant depressive symptoms - defined as CES-D scores ≥ 16 - were significantly associated with increased odds of perceived pill frequency burden (aOR: 2.79; 95% CI: 1.14-6.84) and perceived pill quantity burden (aOR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.09-3.95). Higher counts of HIV and non-HIV medications were also positively associated with greater odds of pill burden. These findings suggest the need for regular screening for perceived pill burden and depression for older MWH managing HIV and multiple chronic conditions. Additional research employing longitudinal designs is essential to examine the long-term history of perceived pill burden.

Indexed as

Anti-HIV AgentsDepressionHIV InfectionsMedication AdherenceAdultAgedCohort StudiesComorbidityFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPerceptionSocioeconomic FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesAnti-HIV Agents

Identifiers

PMID40810882

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.