TY - JOUR TI - An investigation of the impact of social capital on the health-related quality of life of urban populations living with HIV/AIDS DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3PZ5CSQ PY - 2017 AB - The objective of this research is to study the impact of social capital on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among low-income people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). It measures three proposed proxies for social capital—provider engagement, socioeconomic status (SES), and HIV/AIDS stigma—and investigates their effects on HQROL using the indicators of overall health, mental health, and HIV/AIDS care. It also measures covariates that have been tied to HQROL among low-income, underserved PLWHA, such as race, sexual orientation, gender, and substance abuse. The theoretical framework is grounded in the social capital and health-related quality of life model. The survey “Positive Connections: Connecting HIV-Infected Patients to Care, 2004–2006 [United States]” is analyzed. The study sample included 103 low-income PLWHA. Using logistic regression models, the study explores provider engagement, SES, HIV/AIDS stigma, and their impact on HQROL (measured by overall health, mental health and HIV/AIDS care) with the covariates of race, gender, sexual orientation, and substance abuse. The results show that provider engagement is a significant predictor of HIV/AIDS care, meaning that a person’s likelihood of getting HIV/AIDS care, but not the person’s overall or mental health, is related to provider engagement. No direct associations were found between SES, HIV/AIDS stigma, and the indicators of HRQOL. Substance abuse is significantly associated with both overall and mental health, indicating that histories of substance abuse make participants more likely to have poor overall and mental health. The findings suggest that provider engagement is a better proxy than SES or HIV/AIDS stigma for conveying the effect of social capital on HRQOL. The findings also suggest that this effect is mediated by substance abuse and self- identification as bisexual and may not lead to improved overall or mental health. This suggests the importance of an increased focus on provider–patient engagement in HIV/AIDS care from a theoretical perspective; however, to date, little has been said about integrating this type of engagement into health policy. Hence, provider engagement and its implications for improved HIV/AIDS care must be included in future policy conversations at the national, state, and community levels. KW - Urban Systems KW - Quality of life KW - AIDS (Disease)--Patients LA - eng ER -