Factors Associated with Nonadherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among Children with HIV/AIDS in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/njgp.v19i2.21Keywords:
self‑reporting, children, caregivers, antiretroviral therapy, AdherenceAbstract
Background: The advent of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in combined therapy has transformed HIV/AIDS into a chronic treatable condition and significantly improved the prognosis and quality of life of patients with HIV/AIDS. However, to achieve this, patients have to maintain strict adherence which has been shown to be affected by several factors. This study, therefore, aimed to estimate and identify factors associated with adherence to ARV drugs among children attending Paediatric ARV Clinic at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.
Subjects and Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical information of the children and their caregivers was collected using a semi‑structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to examine the odds of adherence and nonadherence to ARV therapy with respect to the various factors. P = 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 167 children and their caregivers were studied. The children were aged between 2 and 17 years with a mean age of 9.1 ± 3.4 years, while the caregivers were aged between 20 and 70 years with a mean age of 37.6 ± 10.7 years. The estimated dherence in the past 30 days was found to be 76.6%. Caregivers’ forgetfulness and traveling were reported as the major reasons for missing medications. Caregivers’ age <35 years was significantly associated with poor adherence (odds ratio = 2.35 [95% confidence interval: 1.09–5.06]).
Conclusion: Caregiver factors were the main factors associated with poor adherence in children with HIV. We recommend regular adherence counseling at every visit with emphasis on the use of reminder methods to improve adherence.
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