Adherence to Anti-Retroviral Therapy and its Associated Factors Among Women Living with HIV/AIDS in a Teaching Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71637/tnhj.v25i1.929Keywords:
Women, Adherence, Antiretroviral therapy, Childbearing ageAbstract
Background: Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy requires the collaboration of health care workers with Background: Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy requires the collaboration of health care workers with health care receivers and a well-designed integration of several disciplines to ensure its success. This study determined the adherence to antiretroviral therapy and factors contributing to non-adherence among women living with HIV/AIDS.
Methods: This study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. A standardized tool on adherence level by Morisky tool was used to collect data from 132 women of childbearing age. The data were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20.0 at 0.05 level of significance.
Results: Majority of participants, 67 (50.8%), were secondary school graduates, 80.3% identified as Yoruba, and 63.6% were Christians. Their adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) 64.4%, was significantly below the international standard of 95%. Additionally, most respondents (87.9%) reported experiencing adverse effects from the medication. More than half of the respondents (58.3%) experienced mild psychological symptoms while 3% experienced severe psychological symptoms. There were no significant association between the participants’ educational qualification and their adherence level, (p ≥0.34), between marital status and their adherence to antiretroviral therapy, (p ≥0.23) and between participants’ family types and their adherence to antiretroviral therapy, (p ≥0.19).
Conclusion: The findings of this study underscore the urgent need for multifaceted approaches to improve antiretroviral therapy adherence. Beyond targeted training programmes, there is a necessity for systemic interventions that could address the social, psychological, and cultural factors influencing adherence. Stakeholders, and support networks, must collaborate to create supportive environments to improve adherence.
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