Self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV+ population from Bata, Equatorial Guinea

ABSTRACT

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) represent a serious public health problem in Equatorial Guinea, with a prevalence of 6.2% among adults. the high-activity antiretroviral treatment (HAART) coverage data is 10 points below the overall estimate for Sub-Saharan Africa, and only 61% patients continue with HAART 12 months after it started. This study aims to assess HAART adherence and related factors in Litoral Province of Equatorial Guinea. In this cross-sectional study, socio-demographic and clinical data were collected at Regional Hospital of Bata, during June–July 2014. Adherence to treatment was assessed by using the Spanish version of CEAT-VIH. Bivariate and linear regression analyses were employed to assess HAART adherence-related factors. We interviewed 50 men (35.5%) and 91 women (64.5%), with a mean age of 47.7 ± 8.9 and 36.2 ± 11.2, respectively (p < .001). Overall, 55% patients had low or insufficient adherence. CEAT-VIH score varied by ethnic group (p = .005). There was a positive correlation between CEAT-VIH score and current CD4 T-cells count (p = .013). The Cronbach's α value was 0.52. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess HAART adherence in Equatorial Guinea. Internal reliability for CEAT-VIH was low, nonetheless the positive correlation between the CEAT-VIH score and the immunological status of patients add value to our findings. Our results serve as baseline for future research and will also assist stakeholders in planning and undertaking contextual and evidence-based policy initiatives.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• adherence
• questionnaire
• CEAT-VIH
• Equatorial Guinea

Acknowledgements

We thank the study participants for volunteering to participate in the study; the data collectors for performing field work and the Centro de Referencia de Control de Endemias (CRCE) from the Health Institute Carlos III (ISCIII) for providing logistic and technical support. Corresponding author's affiliation centre belongs to the Network Biomedical Research on Tropical Diseases (RICET in Spanish): RD12/0018/0001.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Society of Tropical Medicine and International Health (SEMTSI) through its international RFEF-SEMTSI fellowships. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.