Determinants of Low Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment at the Selective Public Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2022

HIV/AIDS is a chronic infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which is characterized by a spectrum starting from primary infection with or without the acute syndrome. HIV infections are a major global public health concern. In 2019, an estimated 38 million people were living with HIV infection, and 1.7 million people became newly infected. Adherence is one of the major critical things in chronic diseases like HIV/AIDS to suppress the viral replication and to decrease the impact of the disease on one’s own life through increasing quality of life and on a country by saving skilled manpower. Poor adherence is one of the major challenges in sub-Saharan African countries like Ethiopia due to factors like socio-demographic, behavioral, disease characteristics, medication-related adverse effects and health system-related factors. This study aims to know and solve the factors, increase adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and improve the quality of life for the patients. Objective: To assess the determinants of low adherence to antiretroviral therapy among patients receiving highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) at a selected public hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling among 220 eligible HIV-positive adult patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at Zewditu Memorial Hospital and Yekatit 12 General Hospital. Data were collected through structured questionnaire interviews and retrospective chart reviews. The data were analysed using SPSS version 25. Results were presented using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, and were displayed in tables and graphs. Result: A total of 220 study participants were included in the study, with 110 participants from Zewditu Memorial Hospital and 110 participants from Yekatit 12 General Hospital. The mean age of the participants was 41.2 years. Among the study participants, 132 (60%) were female, and 88 (40%) were male. Regarding marital status, 129 (56.4%) were unmarried. In terms of education, 91 (41.4%) had attended secondary school, while 131 (59.5%) had completed their secondary education. Conclusion: In our study, the majority of participants demonstrated good adherence to treatment. However, the proportion of individuals with poor adherence was still considerable. Additionally, none of the assessed factors showed a significant association with poor adherence.