Assessment of Rate of Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy(HAART) among HIV Infected Children Attending the Infectious DiseaseClinic of Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State,Nigeria

Background: Drug adherence is central to the success or failure of antiretroviral therapy. It is therefore the pillar in HIV management. This study was aimed at assessing the level of adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among HIV infected children attending the Infectious disease clinic of FETHA. It was also aimed at determining factors influencing adherence among participants. Methods: It was a cross sectional descriptive study, carried out in FETHA between April and October 2014. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain medical history. Adherence was assessed in the clinic using self/ caregiver report through questionnaire, objectively counting the remaining pills of previous prescription and checking the pharmacy refill forms. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 20. Level of significance was achieved if p < 0.05. Results: Of the 77 children recruited, 47 (61.0%) were males. A total of 60 (77.9%) children were found to be adherent to ART by pill count and 68 (88.3%) by self-report. Majority of the non-adherent participants were adolescents (78.6%). A significant relationship existed between death of parent (s) and adherence to ART (p < 0.028). Conclusion: The study shows poor adherence to ART is common and that adolescents are the worst defaulters, with death of parent(s) being the prevailing factor.