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Caregiver-reported antiretroviral therapy non-adherence during the first week and after a month of treatment initiation among children diagnosed with HIV in Ethiopia

Biru, Mulatu LU ; Jerene, Degu LU ; Lundqvist, Pia LU ; Molla, Mitikie ; Abebe, Workeabeba and Hallström, Inger LU (2017) In AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV 29(4). p.436-440
Abstract

To achieve optimal virologic suppression for children undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART), adherence must be excellent. This is defined as taking more than 95% of their prescribed doses. To our knowledge, no study in Ethiopia has evaluated the level of treatment adherence at the beginning of the child's treatment. Our aim was therefore to evaluate caregiver-reported ART non-adherence among children and any predictors for this during the early course of treatment. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 306 children with HIV in eight health facilities in Ethiopia who were registered at ART clinics between 20 December 2014 and 20 April 2015. The adherence rate reported by caregivers during the first week and after a month of... (More)

To achieve optimal virologic suppression for children undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART), adherence must be excellent. This is defined as taking more than 95% of their prescribed doses. To our knowledge, no study in Ethiopia has evaluated the level of treatment adherence at the beginning of the child's treatment. Our aim was therefore to evaluate caregiver-reported ART non-adherence among children and any predictors for this during the early course of treatment. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 306 children with HIV in eight health facilities in Ethiopia who were registered at ART clinics between 20 December 2014 and 20 April 2015. The adherence rate reported by caregivers during the first week and after a month of treatment initiation was 92.8% and 93.8%, respectively. Our findings highlight important predictors of non-adherence. Children whose caregivers were not undergoing HIV treatment and care themselves were less likely to be non-adherent during the first week of treatment (aOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.71) and the children whose caregivers did not use a medication reminder after one month of treatment initiation (aOR = 5.21, 95% CI: 2.23, 12.16) were more likely to miss the prescribed dose. Moreover, after one month of the treatment initiation, those receiving protease inhibitor (LPV/r) or ABC-based treatment regimens were more likely to be non-adherent (aOR = 12.32, 95% CI: 3.25, 46.67). To promote treatment adherence during ART initiation in children, particular emphasis needs to be placed on a baseline treatment regimen and ways to issue reminders about the child's medication to both the health care system and caregivers. Further, large scale studies using a combination of adherence measuring methods upon treatment initiation are needed to better define the magnitude and predictors of ART non-adherence in resource-limited settings.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
volume
29
issue
4
pages
436 - 440
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:84995495106
  • wos:000394616300005
  • pmid:27842440
ISSN
0954-0121
DOI
10.1080/09540121.2016.1257098
project
LUC3 - Lund University Child Centered Care
Hospital-based Home Care for children with long-term illness
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
586d9082-3e84-4201-9db2-cdd8bfec458f
date added to LUP
2016-11-22 14:24:45
date last changed
2024-03-07 16:32:31
@article{586d9082-3e84-4201-9db2-cdd8bfec458f,
  abstract     = {{<p>To achieve optimal virologic suppression for children undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART), adherence must be excellent. This is defined as taking more than 95% of their prescribed doses. To our knowledge, no study in Ethiopia has evaluated the level of treatment adherence at the beginning of the child's treatment. Our aim was therefore to evaluate caregiver-reported ART non-adherence among children and any predictors for this during the early course of treatment. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 306 children with HIV in eight health facilities in Ethiopia who were registered at ART clinics between 20 December 2014 and 20 April 2015. The adherence rate reported by caregivers during the first week and after a month of treatment initiation was 92.8% and 93.8%, respectively. Our findings highlight important predictors of non-adherence. Children whose caregivers were not undergoing HIV treatment and care themselves were less likely to be non-adherent during the first week of treatment (aOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.71) and the children whose caregivers did not use a medication reminder after one month of treatment initiation (aOR = 5.21, 95% CI: 2.23, 12.16) were more likely to miss the prescribed dose. Moreover, after one month of the treatment initiation, those receiving protease inhibitor (LPV/r) or ABC-based treatment regimens were more likely to be non-adherent (aOR = 12.32, 95% CI: 3.25, 46.67). To promote treatment adherence during ART initiation in children, particular emphasis needs to be placed on a baseline treatment regimen and ways to issue reminders about the child's medication to both the health care system and caregivers. Further, large scale studies using a combination of adherence measuring methods upon treatment initiation are needed to better define the magnitude and predictors of ART non-adherence in resource-limited settings.</p>}},
  author       = {{Biru, Mulatu and Jerene, Degu and Lundqvist, Pia and Molla, Mitikie and Abebe, Workeabeba and Hallström, Inger}},
  issn         = {{0954-0121}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{436--440}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV}},
  title        = {{Caregiver-reported antiretroviral therapy non-adherence during the first week and after a month of treatment initiation among children diagnosed with HIV in Ethiopia}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/21810938/17265058.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/09540121.2016.1257098}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}