Brazilian adaptation of the Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The "Cuestionario para la Evaluación de la Adhesión al Tratamiento Antiretroviral" (Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire) is a self-administered instrument for the assessment of adherence rates to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients. The objective of the present study was to translate, adapt and validate the questionnaire for its use in Brazil. METHODS: The questionnaire was translated from the Spanish original into Brazilian Portuguese using the forward-backward translation method (Spanish/Portuguese/Spanish), followed by verbal assessment of understanding in a small group of patients. Then the instrument's psychometric properties were studied in a sample of 59 HIV-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy. Patients were interviewed in an HIV/AIDS clinic in the city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, between June and November 2005. The validation process of the questionnaire's reliability included the analysis of internal consistency, external criterion-related validity, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: The results showed the questionnaire's adequate reliability (alpha=0.64) and external criterion-related validity (viral load; r=-0.48; p<0.001). Adequate sensitivity (79.2%) and specificity (57.1%) for the detection of subjects with detectable versus undetectable viral loads were also found. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire proved to be useful, reliable and valid for the assessment of adherence rates to antiretroviral therapy in patients living with HIV.