| dc.description.abstract | Background: To attain progressed treatment success and maintain a continuous improvement
of lives, ART and excellent adherence must move hand in hand. The treatment process of
adherence goes further beyond just taking ART medication, requiring dedicated activity of
the patients to follow a practitioner recommended diet, and to execute healthy lifestyle
changes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess factors influencing ART adherence among
AYA attending CUFH, Naguru – Kampala district, so as to tailor interventions effective in
improving ART adherence which will reduce the increased HIV related mortality in this age
group.
Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study conducted at CUFH, Naguru. It enrolled
133 HIV/AIDS positive AYA on ART attending CUFH, and used convenience sampling
method. Data was collected using a researcher administered questionnaire and analyzed using
SPSS.
Results: The study revealed a higher proportion of non-adherence as compared to adherent
respondents. Factors influencing adherence included; Care giver factors such as socio-support
and affordability of the ART drugs were significantly associated with adherence to ART (P-
value<0.05) Drug related factors such as duration on ART, Side effects from the drug were
significantly associated with adherence to ART (P-value<0.05).
Health system related factors such as time spent with the health care workers during ART
clinic visits, confidence in the Health care providers, availability of ARVs at the facilities,
counseling at time of initiation to ART and on-going counseling on drug adherence during
ART clinic visits were significantly associated with adherence to ART (P-value<0.05).
While Individual characteristics such as age (P-value<0.05) were significant predictors of
adherence to ART among the respondents.
Conclusion and Recommendations: Basing on the findings, more funds should be allocated
for the expansion and access to HC services, including HIV treatment. Health activists should
come up with advocacy for AYA positively living with HIV using educational materials to
specific groups, promote the need for persons positively living with HIV to have access to
counseling, support and health care, and lastly peer education. Adherence should be assessed
at each visit and those found to be non-adherent should be referred for more standardized
ART adherence counseling.
HCWs should ensure that clients are fully equipped with adherence knowledge, given social
support, follow up, and counseling to maintain continued adherence to ART care.
More Adolescent clubs in schools and health facilities should be put in place for the AYA to
interact and learn about positive living. And finally, counseling should be ensured at
Individual, group, and peer levels in order to motivate and mentor AYA. | en_US |
