Vulnerable populations comprise a growing number of people living with HIV/AIDS and are at increased risk for poorer health outcomes. The purpose of this research was to approximate the effect of the Ryan White CARE Act on the health status of people living with HIV/AIDS who were receiving medical care in the United States. The vulnerable populations model was utilized to identify appropriate variables for analysis as well as to provide a sequencing for the testing of models. Data analyzed in this study came from the 1996 Baseline Survey of the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a cooperative study between RAND and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (now known as the Agency for Health Care Quality and Research). Three analyses sequences, using different dependent variables, to estimate health status were conducted. In the first analysis, health status was measured by CD-4 count and stage of illness. In the second analysis, only CD-4 counts were used for health status. In the final analysis, health status was estimated based on AIDS diagnosis. Each of the three analyses included the same independent variables: race, gender, education, sexual orientation, income, insurance status, region of the country, receipt of case management, perceived health, and level of antiviral therapy. The three analyses suggested similar results. Specifically, that African Americans and women had better health status as compared to whites and men, respectively. Additionally, insurance, case management, and antiviral therapy were associated with poorer health status. Factors such as education, income, and region of the country yielded inconsistent results between models. To better understand the effect of the Ryan White CARE Act on health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS, future research should consider inclusion of a variable that more directly measures the CARE Act, such as payer source for medical care.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc5339 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Tilton, Abigail C. |
| Contributors | Williamson, David Allen, Zottarelli, Lisa K., Barton, Tom, Cready, Cynthia M., Yancey, George A., 1962- |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Copyright, Tilton, Abigail, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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