Predictors of Viral Suppression Among People Living with HIV in Rural Oregon.

Abstract

With recent outbreaks of HIV in rural areas of the United States, it has become increasingly important to understand the factors affecting health outcomes of people with HIV living in rural areas. We assessed predictors of durable HIV viral suppression among rural participants using a pooled 7-year dataset from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), a cross-sectional, representative sample of individuals receiving HIV medical care in Oregon. Only 77.3% of rural participants achieved durable HIV viral suppression, while 22.7% had at least one detectable HIV viral load measurement within the past 12months. The primary predictors of viral suppression were ARV adherence, poverty, and reported heavy drinking in the past 30days. These results highlight the influence of social factors on health outcomes for persons with HIV living in rural areas and inform areas for policy and program change.