Grant: Operating Grant

Formerly considered a terminal illness, HIV infection is today classified as a chronic disease. The advent of a powerful antiretroviral therapy (ART) has contributed to reduce morbidity and mortality substantially among persons living with HIV (PLHIV). However, the long-term use of these drugs, the normal aging process and the presence of certain risk factors have been found in recent years to be associated with the appearance of metabolic disorders. To prevent the emergence and evolution of comorbid problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it is essential that PLHIV adopt health behaviours, namely, ceasing smoking, engaging in physical activity, and following a healthy diet. Unfortunately, the literature suggests that smoking is actually considerably more prevalent among PLHIV than in the general population (50-70%) and that physical activity levels are lower among PLHIV than in the healthy population. The fact that PLHIV are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes owing to ART and the aging process and that they present lower levels of health behaviours will place an acute stress burden on an already taxed healthcare system, particularly in the area of chronic illness care. In addition to adopting health behaviours, PLHIV must make a constant and perpetual effort to manage their antiretroviral drug intake. Treatment adherence among PLHIV has been the focus of a good deal of research in the past decade and warrants being pursued on an ongoing basis for a simple reason: less than two-thirds of PLHIV have been found to adhere optimally to treatment. Against this background, we are proposing a clinical innovation in the domain of information and communications technologies that offers a new model of accessible care delivery for the PLHIV clientele across Canada. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored virtual intervention to support PLHIV in managing the demands inherent to their health condition.