scholarly journals Improving Adherence to Anti-retroviral Therapy among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Enugu State, South East Nigeria

Author(s):  
C. P. Igweagu ◽  
O. H. Chime ◽  
C. N. Onwasigwe

HIV/AIDS continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 32 million lives so far. There were approximately 37.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) at the end of 2018. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality and improved quality of life among people with HIV infection. Aims: The study was conducted to improve the knowledge and adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among PLHIV in Enugu state, southeast Nigeria. Study Design: Interventional study. Place and Duration of Study: Anti-retroviral Therapy clinics within Enugu metropolis in Enugu state Nigeria between June to December 2018. Methodology: A health education intervention was carried out among 312 PLHIV receiving ART in Enugu metropolis to improve their perception and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 312 PLHIV (156 each in the study and control groups), who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted among the study group. Three months after this intervention its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaires employed in the baseline survey.  Results: The most frequently occurring reason given by the respondents for poor adherence to ART was forgetfulness (65.4% for study and 69.9% for control groups). Knowledge of the factors and consequences of poor adherence to treatment was significantly higher among the study group than the controls post-interventions p<0.001. Adherence to ART improved from 42.3% pre-intervention to 81.4% post-intervention. Conclusion: Intensive health education effectively improved adherence to ART among persons living with HIV/AIDS and this should be carried out regularly.

Author(s):  
C. P. Igweagu ◽  
O. H. Chime ◽  
O. C. Ekwueme

Background: The Acquired Immune – deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a terminal illness caused by a retrovirus known as the Human Immune-deficiency virus (HIV). HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death in sub-saharan Africa. Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and one of the highest rates of new infection in sub-Saharan Africa with 1.9 million people living HIV in 2018. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality, prolonged life expectancy and improved quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS infection (PLWHA). To be most effective ART requires a near perfect level of adherence. Poor adherence compromises treatment effectiveness, leading to treatment failure and development of drug resistance. Non-adherence is also characterized by increased morbidity, mortality and great economic loss. This study assessed the effect of health education on factors influencing adherence to ART among PLWHAs in Enugu State. Methodology: A health education intervention was carried out among 312 persons living with HIV/AIDS receiving ART in Enugu metropolis to improve their perception and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 312 people living with HIV/AIDS (156 each in the study and control groups), who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted among the study group. Three months after this intervention its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaires employed in the baseline survey. Results: Knowledge of supportive and limiting factors of adherence improved significantly among the study group than the controls post-intervention (P<0.001). The factors that facilitated adherence included follow-up visits, adequate information education/counseling and supportive relationships. The limiting factors were drug side-effects, forgetfulness, finance and travel time to clinic. Conclusion: Health education improved knowledge of supportive factors of ART adherence among PLWHAs in Enugu State, and this should be promoted.


Author(s):  
Matsobane J. Manala

The HIV/Aids pandemic is cause for great frustration to the developing countries in their attempts to improve the quality of life of their citizens. HIV/Aids in South Africa demands a specific approach to the Christian ministry in which the African world-view is acknowledged. In order for the church to play a relevant and meaningful role in combating the HIV/Aids pandemic, it is necessary that the church should be informed of the existential situation of persons living with HIV/Aids. This information is vital for raising awareness and engendering sensitivity among Christians. In the context of such awareness of and sensitivity to human pain and suffering, the community of the faithful should be moved to heed Christ’s call to show neighbourly love. The possible role of the church in caring for those who are already infected with HIV is defined.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain B. Labrique ◽  
Gregory D. Kirk ◽  
Ryan P. Westergaard ◽  
Maria W. Merritt

We aim to raise awareness and stimulate dialogue among investigators and research ethics committees regarding ethical issues that arise specifically in the design and conduct of mHealth research involving persons living with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. Following a brief background discussion of mHealth research in general, we offer a case example to illustrate the characteristics of mHealth research involving people living with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. With reference to a well-established systematic general ethical framework for biomedical research with human participants, we identify a range of ethical issues that have particular salience for the protection of participants in mHealth research on HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shehu Hussain

The main purpose of adult education is basically to help improve the status of people especially the disadvantaged to enable them to participate actively in the development of their respective communities and society in general. Stigma is a sign of social unacceptability or shame or disgrace attached to something, the essence is for people living with HIV/AIDS to live free from discrimination and inclined to declare and acknowledge their health status. It is against this background that the paper suggested that adult education programmes like literacy education, health education amongst others are capable for providing a solution in order to ameliorate the scourge of stigma from people living with HIV/AIDS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-212
Author(s):  
Glodiana Sinanaj ◽  
Arjan Harxhi ◽  
Brunilda Subashi

There is a lack of nursing studies that are specifically focused on assessing and caring for people living with HIV / AIDS to improve their quality of life. Little is known about the current situation regarding the care of persons living with HIV / AIDS.This cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study will try to identify the assessment of nursing care in order to promote a better understanding of nursing care. A structured self-administered questionnaire administered from April 30 to June 15, 2014, was used for data collection.The participants were 55 patients, whose average age was 33.3 ±7.98 years, ranging from 20 to 55 years of age, out of which 24 (43.6%) of patients were female, while 31 (56.4% of them were males). They had different socioeconomic and educational levels. Regarding the biological dimension of nursing care, despite a positive trend in patient care estimation, differences between individual patient groups are observed based on the educational level.So patients with secondary and higher education are more likely to positively assess nursing care by the biological dimension versus 8-year-old patients. While with the psychological dimension and with other dimensions such as spiritual, social, stigmatization and discrimination there is no statistically significant relation between the socio-demographic characteristics of patients.Among the 5 dimensions, it is noticed that patients have evaluated less positively stigma, discrimination, compared to other dimensions. So patients are noticed a dissatisfaction with the fact that they are treated by nurses at the time of health care. The Nursing School to increase the development and implementation of quality research should identify the feelings, experiences, experiences and meanings of HIV/AIDS patients on nursing care. HIV / AIDS is a growing risk of modern times, requiring long-lasting research and research.


Author(s):  
Sarah Donley ◽  
C. Lockett

Scholarly research on HIV/AIDS and stigma has largely demonstrated a different experience for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) who inhabit urban and rural areas. Largely missing from this scholarship are experiences in low prevalence areas. Low prevalence areas typically have fewer resources, social networks, and HIV infection and prevalence is less common. In this paper, we examine the challenges PLWHAs in rural and urban areas of the Midwest face and how these individuals manage, respond, and combat HIV/AIDS related stigmas in their communities. This paper utilizes interview data to understand the lived experiences of 18 persons living with HIV and AIDS. This paper reveals that respondents in rural areas are likely to be geographically dispersed, struggle with accessing healthcare services, believe their communities are less tolerant, and are less likely to disclose their positive status or seek out social support. Respondents who lived in urban areas were more likely to disclose their positive status, have access to AIDS service organizations and social support, and to participate in advocacy in the “HIV Community.” Our study demonstrates how social and community context are agentic players in shaping life chances, decisions, and behavior of the PLWHAs we interviewed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onyinye Hope Chime ◽  
Sussan Uzoamaka Arinze-Onyia ◽  
Christopher Ndukife Obionu

Background: The health benefits of antiretroviral treatment greatly depend on the extent to which people living with HIV/AIDS adhere to the prescribed daily dosing regimens. Peer support groups are expected to have a high impact on adherence to medication among people living with HIV/AIDS. Objectives: This study was designed to determine factors affecting adherence to medication among people living with HIV/AIDS in peer support and non-support groups attending antiretroviral clinics in Enugu State, Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional, comparative study using qualitative and quantitative instruments among 840 people living with HIV/AIDS attending antiretroviral clinics in Enugu, Nigeria. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 22. A Chi-square test of statistical significance, a student t-test and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression were used in the analysis. Manual content analysis was done for the qualitative data. Results: The mean age of respondents was comparable in both study groups: support group 38.5±9.6; and non-support group 38.5±10.1. A significantly higher proportion of respondents in the support group (91.9%) achieved good adherence compared with those in the non-support group (87.1%). A good medication adherence self-rating was a predictor of adherence in both study groups: support group (AOR 5.8, 95% CI: 2.7–12.2, p=<0.001) and non-support group (AOR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1–0.4, p=<0.001). Conclusion: The peer-based intervention is a viable and effective tool for maintaining optimal adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS in resource-limited settings; hence, research should concentrate on interventions that do not focus on individuals alone, but rather on those that strengthen the capacity of groups to collectively participate in HIV programmes.


Author(s):  
Sumit Lathwal ◽  
Saurabh Mahajan ◽  
Arun K. Yadav

Background: Disclosure is a planned and selective behavior that responds to the balance of potential risks and benefits of secrecy and disclosure of the person living with HIV. The disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners, family or friends, has been shown to be a potent stressor, as persons living with HIV/AIDS might fear negative reactions such as blame, rejection or violence. This study was carried out with an aim to study the patterns of HIV status disclosure and the problems related with it among the HIV positive patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Western Maharashtra.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive, hospital based study carried out in a tertiary care hospital of Western Maharashtra from 01 October 2008 to 30 September 2010. A total of 92 consenting respondents admitted in the hospital were administered a pre tested semi-structured questionnaire to collect the data. The results were analysed using SPSS Ver 16.0.Results: Out of 74 married HIV positive individuals who had a chance to disclose their sero-status to spouse, 64 (86.5%, 95% CI-78.7% to 94.29%) voluntarily disclosed their HIV status to spouse while a small number i.e. 10 (13.5%, 95% CI- 05.71% to 21.29%) did not disclose their HIV status to spouse.Conclusions: This exploratory analysis suggests the need for tailoring interventions for improving disclosure decisions making and outcomes. Institutionalized measures need to be enforced judiciously to assist the HIV positive individuals to reveal their status to their wife and other members of their social group.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document