Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in Hyderabad, India: barriers, facilitators and identification of target groups. (March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dworkin, Mark S; Douglas, GW; Rani, GP Sabitha; Chakraborty, Apurba
• Is Part Of: International journal of STD & AIDS. Volume 27:Number 3(2016:Mar.)
• Page Start: 186
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2016-03
• Subjects: HIV -- AIDS -- treatment -- adherence -- non-adherence -- female sex workers -- Hyderabad -- India -- medication -- highly active antiretroviral therapy -- barriers -- facilitators; Sexually transmitted diseases -- Periodicals; AIDS (Disease) -- Periodicals; 616.951
• DOI: 10.1177/0956462415578545
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-4624

Abstract

Summary: We assessed the barriers and facilitators to highly active antiretroviral therapy adherence and determined their prevalence among HIV/AIDS patients in Hyderabad, India. We conducted a cross-sectional study among HIV-infected adults prescribed highly active antiretroviral therapy and receiving care from nine clinics. Depression was screened using Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and facilitators of HIV medication adherence were assessed using an 11-item scale which yielded a total positive attitude to disease score. Prevalence ratios of non-adherence between different categories of potential risk factors were calculated. We compared mean 'facilitators to adherence' scores between the adherent and non-adherent population. Multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance was used to identify independent risk factors. Among the 211 respondents, nearly 20% were non-adherent, approximately 8% had either moderately severe or severe depression and mean score for combined facilitators to medication adherence was 33.35 (±7.88) out of a possible 44 points. Factors significantly associated with non-adherence included older age, female sex worker, moderate-to-severe depression and the combined facilitators to medication adherence score. These data from a broad range of clinical settings in Hyderabad reveal that key groups to focus on for adherence intervention are female sex workers, older persons and those with depression.