Abstract 13379: Perceived Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Among Older Persons With HIV

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is highly prevalent among older persons with HIV (OPWH) occurring on average a decade earlier than non-infected individuals largely due to chronic inflammation, vascular pathology, and psychosocial stressors. Effective cardiovascular risk reduction strategies such as exercise have been shown to lower both physiological and psychosocial stressors but have not been widely reported in the HIV population. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a one-year, moderate intensity aerobic exercise intervention on perceived stress among OPWH with ≥ 2 CVD risk factors. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed utilizing data from Project FiTBRAiN, a 2-arm RCT that included Let’s Move (moderate intensity aerobic exercise intervention) or Let’s Flex (flexibility/stretching attention control) groups. The 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was utilized to measure participants’ perceived stress. Data analysis included an analysis of variance with pairwise and between-group differences reported. Results: Participants (n=115) reported a mean age of 55±5.2, and the majority were African American (n=100, 87.0%) and male (n=66, 57.4%). The most common cardiovascular comorbidities were elevated: total cholesterol (n=114, 99.1%), systolic blood pressure (n=108, 93.9%), diastolic blood pressure (n=98, 85.2%), and participants had a mean BMI of 28.29. Baseline 14-item PSS scores for the Let’s Move Program and Let’s Flex Program were 19.49 (SD=7.94) and 21.13 (SD=8.64), respectively, indicating moderate stress levels. Over all time points, the control group (Let’s Flex) had higher perceived stress than the intervention group (Let’s Move), but were not significant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that moderate levels of psychological stress were present in this population and may be a risk factor for CVD among OPWH. The consistent finding that perceived stress remained lower over time indicates that aerobic exercise may be beneficial for stress reduction. Additional research is needed to determine the optimal dose and mode of exercise that is most beneficial for stress reduction in this population.