Determinants of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy in adult hospitalized patients, Northwest Ethiopia

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of patients on ART (N=351)

Patient characteristics	Number (%)
Sex
Male	125 (35.6)
Female	226 (64.4)
Age
18–30	95 (27.1)
31–45	134 (38.2)
46–64	122 (34.8)
Marital status
Unmarried	53 (15.1)
Married	175 (49.9)
Divorced	76 (21.7)
Widowed	47 (13.4)
Religion
Orthodox	307 (87.5)
Islam	37 (10.5)
Protestant	5 (1.4)
Catholic	2 (0.6)
Ethnicity
Amhara	327 (93.2)
Tigre	16 (4.6)
Others	8 (2.3)
Employment status
Employed	255 (72.6)
Unemployed	96 (27.4)
Monthly income
No income	44 (12.5)
Less than 500	118 (33.6)
501–1,500	133 (37.9)
Above 1,500	56 (16.0)
Educational level
Illiterate	66 (18.6)
Basic education	22 (6.3)
Elementary	109 (31.1)
Secondary	72 (20.5)
College diploma and above	82 (23.4)
Living condition
Living alone	74 (21.1)
Living with family	269 (76.6)
Living with friend	3 (0.9)
Living with others	5 (1.4)
Source of support
Self-support	263 (74.9)
Families	78 (22.2)
NGOs	10 (2.8)

Abbreviations: ART, antiretroviral therapy; NGOs, nongovernmental organizations.

Table 2 Attitude of PLWHA toward ART (N=351)

Patient characteristics	Number (%)
ART is essential for the HIV patient
Strongly agree	232 (66.1)
Agree	108 (30.8)
Uncertain	8 (2.3)
Disagree	3 (0.9)
Are you feeling comfortable to take ART in the presence of others
Comfortable	281 (80.1)
Uncomfortable	28 (8.0)
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable	42 (11.9)
Family disclosure
Yes	327 (93.2)
No	24 (6.8)
Community disclosure
Yes	249 (70.9)
No	102 (29.1)
Use of active substance
Yes	79 (22.5)
No	272 (77.5)

Abbreviations: PLWHA, people living with HIV/AIDS; ART, antiretroviral therapy; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Table 3 Treatment adherence and satisfaction with ART (N=351)

Patient characteristics	Number (%)
Duration of therapy
<6 months	36 (10.3)
6–12 months	44 (12.5)
>12 months to 3 years	79 (22.5)
>3 years	192 (54.7)
Side effect
Yes	186 (53)
No	165 (47)
Satisfaction with health care provider
Most of the time	50 (14.2)
Sometimes	108 (30.8)
None of the time	178 (50.7)
All the time	15 (4.3)
Dose missed?
Yes	67 (19.1)
No	284 (80.9)
Number of missed doses
1–3 doses	38 (56.7)
4–8 doses	19 (28.4)
>8 doses	10 (14.9)

Abbreviation: ART, antiretroviral therapy.

Figure 1 Reasons given for missing the ART medication doses among PLWHA in Gondar (N=67).

Abbreviations: ART, antiretroviral therapy; PLWHA, people living with HIV/AIDS; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Table 4 Factors associated with non-adherence to ART (N=351)

Variable	Adherence level		OR (95% CI)	P-value
	Adherent	Non-adherent
Age
18–30	82 (86%)	13 (14%)	0.63 (0.35, 0.91)	0.017
31–45	101 (75%)	33 (25%)	1.51 (1.20, 1.82)
46–64	101 (82.8%)	21 (17.2%)	1
Employment
Employed	200 (78.4%)	55 (21.6%)	0.41 (0.20, 0.88)	0.02
Unemployed	84 (87.5%)	12 (12.5%)	1
HIV disclosure (family)
Disclosed	265 (81%)	62 (19%)	0.48 (0.23, 0.98)	0.04
Undisclosed	19 (79.2%)	5 (20.8%)	1
Comfortability to take ART in the presence of others
Comfortable	234 (83.3%)	47 (16.7%)	3.97 (1.17, 13.50)	0.02
Uncomfortable	23 (82.1%)	5 (17.9%)	1
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable	27 (64.3%)	15 (35.7%)	0.56 (0.23, 0.89)

Abbreviations: ART, antiretroviral therapy; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.