Determinants of treatment adherence among the patients receiving treatment in the ART centre of a tertiary hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Background: WHO recommended adherence of 95% or more to antiretroviral therapy for better outcome in terms of general well-being and decreased chance of drug resistance. This study was conducted with the objective of describing the factors associated with adherence pattern to ongoing ART regimens in adults with HIV/AIDS in R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), a tertiary hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.Methods: An observational, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the adults receiving treatment at the ART centre of R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata. Patients above 15 years of age, who received at least one year of treatment before the day of the interview, comprise the study population. Sample size was 279. We tried to find out any association between adherence level and factors like socio-demographic profile, treatment profile, lifestyle pattern etc. applying bivariate analysis, Chi square test, multiple logistic regressions. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (version 20).Results: Different factors like employment status, monthly income, language of communication, addiction, following advice on food and water intake, side effects from ART were found to be statistically associated with level of adherence among the subjects.Conclusions: Emphasis should be given on thorough counseling of the people with HIV/AIDS so as to motivate them to take medication as advised and to maintain adequate adherence level of therapy improving their general well-being.