title: Adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy in HIV+ Ugandan patients purchasing therapy.
abstract: Our objective was to determine the level of adherence and reasons for non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive (HIV+) people on ART in a resource-limited setting. Patients receiving ART were recruited into the cross-sectional study from three treatment centres in Kampala, Uganda. The number of missed doses over the last three days was assessed by structured patient interviews and dichotomized at +/-95% adherence. Reasons for non-adherence were assessed with both structured patient interviews and unstructured qualitative interviews. Independent predictors of non-adherence were assessed with multivariate logistic regression. In all, 304 HIV-infected persons on ART were enrolled into the study. Factors associated with non-adherence were marital status (odds ratio (OR) = 2.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32-6.50) and low monthly income <50 US$ [OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.64-4.67]. We concluded that levels of self-reported adherence in patients receiving ART in Kampala are comparable to levels in resource-rich settings with inability to purchase and secure a stable supply as a major barrier to adherence.
authors.affiliation: Makerere University School of Medicine, Kampala and Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Byakika-Tusiime
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oyugi
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Tumwikirize
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Katabira
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Mugyenyi
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Bangsberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014454:Uganda
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors