| HIV disease surfaced in the 1980's as a serious and fatal disease, but has recently become a chronic condition. Meanwhile, quality of life emerged as a significant marker of well-being.; In this study, the chronic illness trajectory (CIT) framework provided direction in exploring quality of life (QOL) for persons living with HIV disease (PLWHD). An inherent premise of this framework is the belief that a trajectory, or course of an illness, can be shaped. Physical activity and social support have been identified as influential in shaping a trajectory and in quality of life.; The purpose of this study was to describe physical activity, social support, quality of life, and to explore relationships between and among these variables in PLWHD. Once subjects (n = 78) gave consent to participate, they were administered four instruments: (a) the Personal Profile Form (PPF), (b) the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ), (c) the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), and (d) the Medical Outcomes Survey-HIV (MOS-HIV). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square, Pearson correlation, t-test and multiple regression were utilized to answer four research questions using an alpha level of .05.; Findings revealed that 27 (34.6%) of the PLWHD met national recommendations of Healthy People 2010, for either moderate or vigorous levels of physical activity. More subjects (n = 67) participated in walking than in any other physical activity. Results demonstrated a correlation between higher levels of social support and lower levels of psychological distress, yet social support did not prove to be a predictor of QOL. Subjects most frequently derived social support from family.; Despite low mean scores in overall health, health transition, energy/fatigue and role function on the MOS-HIV, subjects perceived high QOL, physical, mental, social, and cognitive functioning. Results showed that physically active subjects had significantly greater QOL. Regression analysis found that physical activity was a significant predictor of QOL.; Recommendations include the need to examine quality of life longitudinally for PLWHD, and to explore additional variables influencing physical activity for this population. Collaborative interdisciplinary investigations may be useful in identifying the most efficacious interventions associated with all aspects of QOL. |
