Understanding the Health-related Quality of Life of People Living with HIV Based on Sexual Orientation

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has detrimental impacts on the lives of different population groups living with HIV, including men who have sex with men (MSM). Using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire, this study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life of men living with HIV with different sexual orientations and to determine the dominant influential factors. This cross-sectional study involved 206 men living with HIV. They were recruited from the Sriwijaya Plus Foundation and a medical facility that provided antiretroviral therapy. The data were analyzed using Chi-square and binomial logistic regression. The analysis showed that the percentage of MSM patients was greater than that of non-MSM patients, accounting for 68.9% of the total population. The multivariate logistic regression revealed that the most dominant influential factor was depression status (PR = 5.417; 95% CI = 2.473–11.876), with the majority of the depressed patients being 5.417 times more at risk of a lower quality of life compared to others. These findings suggest that depression can lead to a low quality of life among HIV patients

Understanding Health Risk Assessment in Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Its Relationship With the Frequency of Sexual Transactions

Female sex workers carry out sexual transactions that pose a high risk to their health. They experience a high risk of health problems, especially transmission of sexually transmitted infections. There are various factors that female sex workers (FSW) carry out sexual transactions with frequent frequency, such as poverty, gender inequality, and limited access to productive assets. This study aims to determine the associated between the frequency of sex transactions and health risks. This research uses a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. The population of this study was all female sexual workers (FSW), with a sample size of 162 taken by purposive sampling. The results of this study show that the majority of FSWs have had a sexual transaction frequency more than two times in the last week, amounting to 79.5%, with a prevalence of high health risks of 75.9%. Based on the multivariate test, it is known that the frequency of sexual transactions is associated with health risks after controlling for the variables age and length of time as a FSW with an Adjusted Odds Ratio of 3.467 (1.415-8.494). Health risks FSW who engage in sexual transactions more than two times have a risk of 3.467 (1.415-8.494) times experiencing high health risks compared to female sex workers who engage in sexual transactions less than two times after controlling for age and length of time as female sex workers. When carrying out work in sexual exploration, FSW should continue to use sexual protective equipment and carry out regular health checks, especially for sexually transmitted infections