ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Anti-retroviral therapy has significant decreased HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) related morbidity and mortality, making Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) a chronic, manageable illness. However, to be effective, Anti-retroviral therapy needs a high degree of adherence of at least 95%.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of demographic factors and beliefs about medicines on Adherence to Anti-retroviral therapy among HIV patients receiving treatment at the Central Hospital Benin-City.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 HIV patients selected by convenient sampling using a (25) item self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire in three sections. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29.0. Descriptive statistics were computed using frequencies and percentages while inferential statistics were computed using chi-square tests.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: From the result obtained, Majority (66%) of respondents were female, although majority (98) % of respondents believe their health at present and in the future depends on their medicines, yet, about 72% of respondents worry about the long term effect of their anti-retroviral therapy.
Out of the 300 respondents interviewed, slightly more than half respondents (58.67%) adhere strictly to their anti-retroviral therapy as recommended by WHO.
CONCLUSION: Although majority of the HIV patients believe that their life depends on anti-retroviral therapy for survival, adherence to Anti-retroviral therapy among HIV patients receiving treatment at the Central Hospital in Benin-City is still sub-optimal, hence there is a need for health care providers to identify possible barriers to anti-retroviral therapy adherence and provide possible solutions in order to enhance viral suppression of HIV.
KEYWORDS: Adherence, Anti-retroviral therapy, Human immune-deficiency virus (HIV), belief about medicines, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
