Dataset: Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Lifestyle Factors in LGBTQ+ People Living with HIV in Mexico
Description
This dataset contains anonymized, cross-sectional raw data from a study conducted among LGBTQ+ people living with HIV in Mexico who receive support from community-based organizations. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and its association with lifestyle factors. The dataset includes sociodemographic variables, clinical information (such as time on ART and self-reported CD4 counts), and responses to standardized instruments, including the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) and the FANTASTIC lifestyle questionnaire. All questionnaire items are presented in their original (raw) format. Data processing, variable recoding, and construction of derived variables (e.g., binary adherence classification and categorized predictors) were performed separately during statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics and are not included in this dataset. All data have been de-identified to protect participant confidentiality, and no personal identifiers are included. This dataset is intended to support transparency and reproducibility of the study findings.
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Steps to reproduce
Data were collected through a cross-sectional study conducted among LGBTQ+ people living with HIV in Mexico who receive support from community-based organizations. Participants were recruited using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Data collection was performed using a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic and clinical variables, as well as standardized instruments: the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) to assess adherence to antiretroviral therapy and the FANTASTIC questionnaire to evaluate lifestyle factors. Responses were initially recorded in a digital spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) in their raw format. Data cleaning procedures included verification of completeness, consistency checks, and removal of incomplete or duplicate records. The dataset provided here corresponds to the cleaned raw data and does not include derived variables. For analytical purposes, additional variables were constructed outside this dataset. The total FANTASTIC score was obtained by summing the responses to all items, with higher scores indicating healthier lifestyles. Based on established cut-off points, the total score can be categorized into levels of lifestyle (e.g., very poor, poor, regular, good, and excellent). Adherence to antiretroviral therapy was derived from the SMAQ following the original validation criteria. Participants were classified as non-adherent if they reported any behavior indicative of non-adherence (e.g., forgetting medication, skipping doses, or missing doses during the weekend), and as adherent otherwise. Statistical analyses, including variable recoding, construction of derived variables, and modeling procedures, were conducted separately using IBM SPSS Statistics and are described in the associated research article. All data were anonymized prior to sharing, and no personally identifiable information is included in the dataset. A detailed codebook describing variable definitions and coding schemes is provided as a supplementary file.