Sponsor
This research has been supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources& Services Administration (HRSA) under the terms of the contract no. 2006-N-08428 with FHI 360.
Published In
PLoS ONE
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2016
Subjects
HIV infections -- Sub-Saharan Africa -- Treatment, AIDS (Disease) -- Sub-Saharan Africa -- Treatment, Patient compliance -- Sub-Saharan Africa -- Qualitative studies, Antiretroviral therapy
Physical Description
15 pages
Abstract
Objectives To identify the reasons patients miss taking their antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the proportion who miss their ART because of symptoms; and to explore the association between symptoms and incomplete adherence.
Methods Secondary analysis of data collected during a cross-sectional study that examined ART adherence among adults from 18 purposefully selected sites in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. We interviewed 250 systematically selected patients per facility (≥18 years) on reasons for missing ART and symptoms they had experienced (using the HIV Symptom Index). We abstracted clinical data from the patients’ medical, pharmacy, and laboratory records. Incomplete adherence was defined as having missed ART for at least 48 consecutive hours during the past 3 months.
Results Twenty-nine percent of participants reported at least one reason for having ever missed ART (1278/4425). The most frequent reason was simply forgetting (681/1278 or 53%), followed by ART-related hunger or not having enough food (30%), and symptoms (12%). The median number of symptoms reported by participants was 4 (IQR: 2–7). Every additional symptom increased the odds of incomplete adherence by 12% (OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.1–1.2). Female participants and participants initiated on a regimen containing stavudine were more likely to report greater numbers of symptoms.
Conclusions Symptoms were a common reason for missing ART, together with simply forgetting and food insecurity. A combination of ART regimens with fewer side effects, use of mobile phone text message reminders, and integration of food supplementation and livelihood programmes into HIV programmes, have the potential to decrease missed ART and hence to improve adherence and the outcomes of ART programmes.
DOI
10.1371/ journal.pone.0147309
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/18543
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Citation Details
Koole O, Denison JA, Menten J, Tsui S, Wabwire-Mangen F, Kwesigabo G, et al. (2016) Reasons for Missing Antiretroviral Therapy: Results from a Multi-Country Study in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147309. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0147309
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Immune System Diseases Commons, Virus Diseases Commons
Description
At the time of writing, David Bangsberg was affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and Harvard Medical School.