Prevalence and predictors of HIV status disclosure by young people on HAART in selected healthcare facilities of Benue, Nigeria: A Rural-Urban Comparison

Background: Due to increased accessibility to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV-infected children have improved long-term outcomes, reaching adolescence and adulthood. With this comes different challenges, one of which is HIV status disclosure: from parents to children (passive disclosure) and from young people to others (active disclosure). The challenge of disclosure has been found to impact adherence to treatment and, consequently, the lives of these young people. This study aimed to determine and compare the prevalence and determinants of passive and active HIV disclosure among young people attending urban and rural health facilities in Benue State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 354 young people aged 10 – 24 years in an urban facility (Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi) and a rural facility (NKST Hospital, Gboko) using an interviewer-administered, pretested questionnaire. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics were generated and tests for association between subgroups were carried out using chi-square and Fisher’s exact test. Results: There was a high rate of passive disclosure of HIV in both facilities (85.8% in the urban facility and 81.4% in the rural facility). Active disclosure was 41.9% and 74.5% in the urban and rural facilities respectively. Predictors of passive disclosure included duration on HAART, route of transmission, while predictor of active disclosure of HIV in both facilities was age less than 17 years. Conclusion: HIV disclosure support through disclosure counselling should be provided to young people, especially adolescents, parents and guardians.