Are People With HIV Aware of Their Cardiometabolic Risk? A Cross-Sectional Survey Study of People Living With HIV Within a Community Organization in an Urban Setting

Background Cardiometabolic diseases have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality for people living with HIV (PLWH), and it is not clear if this population is aware of such risk. Objective The objective of this study is to assess perceived knowledge of cardiometabolic risk among PLWH in an underrepresented US community and explore associations with key demographic characteristics and social determinants of health. Methods This study was conducted in urban communities within New Jersey. One-hundred and sixteen participants completed the survey, who were included in the final analytic sample. Results/Conclusion Approximately half of the participants reported being knowledgeable about the long-term effects of hyperlipidemia and diabetes (51.8% and 51.9%, respectively), and 61.6% of participants reported being knowledgeable about the long-term complications of hypertension. An exploratory analysis was conducted to determine if there were any associations related to reported social determinants of health and the primary outcome.