Abstract

CARDONA-ARIAS, Jaiberth A. Social representations of health- related quality of life in people suffering from HIV/AIDS in, Medellin, Colombia. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2010, vol.12, n.5, pp.765-776. ISSN 0124-0064.

Objective Ascertaining social representations about health-related quality of life in a group of people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Medellin, Colombia, 2009. Methods This was a qualitative, grounded theory-based study of 19 people living with HIV / AIDS;, all participants completed three interviews involving open, axial and selective encoding. Social representations were addressed through a procedural approach involving hermeneutics. Methodological rigor criteria were credibility, auditability and transferability, category saturation, investigative, methodological and theoretical triangulation and constant comparative analysis. Results Social representations of health-related quality of life were based on biological determinants such as the importance of HAART and health services, psychological ones such as the acceptance of diagnosis and the relevance of health information, and social ones such as stigma and social support. They also described the various strategies that participants used for improving their healthrelated quality of life. Conclusion Social representations of health-related quality of life were multidimensional; such knowledge is fundamental for improving HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and health education programmes targeted at infected people, because they include experience, knowledge and language regarding the affected people's everyday life.

Keywords : HIV; AIDS; quality of life; health; qualitative research.

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