Longitudinal Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Engagement in Care, and ART Adherence Among US Women Living with HIV

Food insecurity disproportionately affects people with HIV and women in the United States (US). More evidence is needed to understand the interplay between levels of food insecurity and levels of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence over time, as well as how food insecurity relates to engagement in HIV care. We used random effects models with longitudinal data from the US Women’s Interagency HIV Study to estimate the (1) adjusted associations of current and 6-month lagged food security with ART adherence categories (n = 1646), and (2) adjusted associations of food security with engagement-in-care (n = 1733). Very low food security was associated with a higher relative risk of ART non-adherence at prior and current visits compared with food security, and this association increased across non-adherence categories. Very low food security was associated with lower odds of receiving HIV care and higher odds of a missed visit. Food insecurity among US women with HIV is associated with poorer engagement in care and degree of ART non-adherence over time.