Abstract
Background: Antiretroviral therapies have remained the cornerstone to
improving the quality of life among people living with HIV. Adherence to
these antiretroviral therapies continues to be crucial to the clinical outcomes
for people living with HIV and their overall well-being. Thus, this study was
conducted to evaluate the relationship between adherence to antiretroviral
therapy and health-related quality of life for people living with HIV.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study involving people living
with HIV accessing care in three tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. The study
involved 877 respondents, who were selected using a multi-staged systematic
sampling and administered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Simplified
Medication Adherence Questionnaire, and the 15D QoL Questionnaire.
Descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS
version 21.
Result: Eight hundred and seventy-seven people living with HIV were
enrolled in the study, with the majority being females (64.5%). Of these, 66%
were between the ages of 31-50 years, and 63.5% were married. More than
half of the participants (63.8%) had secondary-level education and earned
less than 30 USD per month. Non-adherence was reported in 456 participants (52.5%), with a mean QoL score of 0.97 ± 0.42. The mean quality of life score
was significantly lower (p < 0.001) for non-adherent participants (0.96, S.D.
± 0.33), compared to adherent participants (0.98, S.D. ± 0.04). A multiple
linear regression model showed being over 60 years old (β = -0.020, p =
0.032), being divorced (β =-0.021, p = 0.04), and having a comorbid condition
(β = -0.013, p = 0.002) was associated with lower quality of life, while
medication adherence (β = 0.09, p = 0.017) was a positive predictor of quality
of life.
Conclusion: Adherence to ART was suboptimal in this study. Elderly People
Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), especially those with comorbid conditions
or any of the negative predictors of QoL, are at increased risk of poor QoL
and, thus, should be prioritized for QoL optimization strategies in HIV clinics.
This calls for the need to review and optimize current strategies to enhance
adherence to HIV care.