Socio-Demographic Correlates of Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence among Paediatric HIV Patients Under Care at A Tertiary Health Institution in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Antiretroviral treatment adherence is the strongest predictor of successful treatment outcome among HIV-infected patients on treatment.  

Objective: To determine the correlation between the sociodemographic factors of our HIV-infected patients and their antiretroviral treatment adherence,  at a tertiary hospital in South-East Nigeria.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional survey of 210 HIV-infected children accessing care at a  tertiary hospital in South-East Nigeria using self-report method of adherence assessment. Adherence to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) is defined  as when a patient did not miss more than 1 dose of the prescribed cART medication in the preceding 2 weeks prior to the study.

Result: Majority, 191  (91%), of the subjects adhered. There was a significant relationship between cART adherence and educational level (0.004), duration of treatment (0.001),  but not to the socio-economic status (0.001).

Conclusion: The cARTadherence level in this study was 100% in 91% of the subjects studied. There was no statistically significant relationship between cART adherence and the socio-economic status of the subjects.