Adherence level to highly active antiretroviral therapy in a Nigerian sub-urban setting teaching hospital

Abstract

Background: Adherence to medications has been a major challenge in management of chronic medical conditions including HIV infection. The peculiarity of adherence in HIV infection is that high adherence to HAART is required for viral suppression and prevention of drug resistance. The aim of the study is to determine the adherence level of adult patients accessing HAART at Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogbomoso.
Methods and material: A prospective descriptive study of 91 HIV infected patients aged 18 years and older. There were two contact sessions with each participant: the first was for adherence counselling while the second was for assessment of adherence using 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MMAQ). The data was analysed using SPSS version 20 software and presented as descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: A total of 91 respondents were recruited for the study. There were more females (72.5%) than males (27.5%) and 31-40 years
was the modal age group. Most of them were married (61.5%), Christians (68.5%), educated to secondary level (40.7%), unskilled (89.0%), and Yoruba ethnic group (89.0%). Out of a total of 91 respondents who participated in the study, an overwhelming majority (82.4%) had high adherence level. Marital status and occupation, had statistically significant association with adherence.
Conclusions: High adherence level was observed in this study. Marriage and gainful employment should be encouraged and strengthened to improve medication adherence among people living with Retroviral Disease.

Key words: Adherence, Antiretroviral therapy, HIV, Assessment, Drug Resistance