Drs. Quinn and Zheng Receive Funding to Study ACEs
Dr. Megan Quinn and Dr. Shimin Zheng, Associate Professors in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, have been awarded a Research Development Committee Major Grant for a pilot study to assess how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect a patient’s readiness to adhere to HIV treatment.
The researchers will collaborate with the Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDS and the Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity. This project stemmed from work that Dr. Quinn completed with Elaine Loudermilk, a Doctor of Public Health student in the Department of Epidemiology. This project will be conducted as part of Ms. Loudermilk’s doctoral dissertation.
Southern Appalachia has a higher HIV prevalence than other parts of Appalachia, and people living with HIV/AIDS have reported ACEs and substance abuse as reasons for not adhering to treatment. Life traumas like ACEs are known to play a role in HIV risk behaviors, however, little information exists to aid healthcare providers in understanding how ACEs might impact a patient’s motivation and readiness to adhere to HIV treatment.
The Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDS treats patients from rural Appalachia who report a wide range of sociodemographic backgrounds and trauma histories. Although the Center has a multidisciplinary healthcare team approach and provides financial and social support services to assist patients with quality of life, it is always interested in increasing their current understanding of factors that influence HIV adherence among their patients.
In order to aid the Center in overcoming barriers to HIV treatment adherence that may be related to ACEs in rural Appalachia, Loudermilk, Quinn, and Zheng will develop a screening tool, specifically designed for the Center’s patient population. This screening tool, combined with patient interviews will help to better understand ACEs, other life traumas, and barriers to medication adherence. Results from this project will hopefully improve patient care, particularly for those who report challenges with medication adherence.
This research will be among the first in rural Appalachia to assess and quantify the relationship between ACEs and perceived barriers to care for people with HIV/AIDS.