Antiretroviral therapy adherence and viral suppression among HIV-infected adolescents and young adults at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Abstract

With the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART), many HIV-infected children are growing into adolescence and adulthood. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Fevers Unit of one of the teaching hospitals in Ghana. The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and pill count were used to assess adherence, while measured viral load levels of participants were used to assess viral suppression. The rate of viral suppression (<400 copies/ml) was 68.2%. Participants with high MMAS-8 scores were 8.4 times more likely to be virally suppressed compared to those with low MMAS-8 scores (OR = 8.4, p = 0.003, 95% CI: 2.11–33.48). The commonest reason for missing doses of their antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) was forgetfulness. Efforts must be made by all stakeholders involved in HIV care to engage adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYALHIV) on personal and/or group levels to help identify and improve particular ART adherence issues so as to increase viral suppression rates.