Attendance of psychosocial teen clubs and self-reported antiretroviral medication adherence: a cross section study of adolescents with perinatal HIV in the Kingdom of Lesotho

Sphiwe Madiba; Ntaoleng Mohlabane; Sphiwe Madiba; Ntaoleng Mohlabane

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2021044

AIMS Public Health

2021, Volume 8, Issue 3: 541-552. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2021044

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Research article

Attendance of psychosocial teen clubs and self-reported antiretroviral medication adherence: a cross section study of adolescents with perinatal HIV in the Kingdom of Lesotho

Sphiwe Madiba ^,,
Ntaoleng Mohlabane

Department of Public Health, School of Health Care Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa

Received: 16 May 2021 Accepted: 05 July 2021 Published: 02 August 2021

Background
To address the problem of poor adherence among adolescents with perinatal HIV (PHIV), all clinics in Lesotho offer adolescent-friendly services and psychosocial support to improve their overall health outcomes and adherence. As a result, most adolescents with PHIV attend Teen Clubs as part of the package of youth-friendly HIV services. This study set out to determine whether attending Teen Clubs facilitates treatment adherence among adolescents with PHIV.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 130 adolescents aged 10–19 years who were aware of their HIV status and had attended three or more Teen Club sessions in selected clinics in rural district in Lesotho. Adherence was measured through self-report of last pills missed, based on the 7-days recall of pills taken. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.
Results
The median age of adolescents was 15 years, 56% were female, 37.7% were orphans, 41% were being cared for by their grandparents, 6.9% were living with siblings with no adult figure, and two were living on their own. The majority (93%) reported optimal adherence, 92% had not missed a clinic appointment in the past 30 days, and 74.4% knew that if they skipped doses, the viral load would increase and they would get sick. Over half (56%) had been reminded by their caregivers to take their medication and 96% talked to their caregivers regularly about their medication.
Conclusion
A supportive environment provided through the Teen Clubs and in the home were the main facilitators for adherence. Strategies to improve adherence among adolescents should consider the importance of the involvement of caregivers in the adolescents' visits to their clinic.
- adherence,
- adolescents,
- Kingdom of Lesotho,
- perinatal HIV,
- teen clubs,
- youth-friendly services
Citation: Sphiwe Madiba, Ntaoleng Mohlabane. Attendance of psychosocial teen clubs and self-reported antiretroviral medication adherence: a cross section study of adolescents with perinatal HIV in the Kingdom of Lesotho[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2021, 8(3): 541-552. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2021044

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Abstract

Background

To address the problem of poor adherence among adolescents with perinatal HIV (PHIV), all clinics in Lesotho offer adolescent-friendly services and psychosocial support to improve their overall health outcomes and adherence. As a result, most adolescents with PHIV attend Teen Clubs as part of the package of youth-friendly HIV services. This study set out to determine whether attending Teen Clubs facilitates treatment adherence among adolescents with PHIV.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 130 adolescents aged 10–19 years who were aware of their HIV status and had attended three or more Teen Club sessions in selected clinics in rural district in Lesotho. Adherence was measured through self-report of last pills missed, based on the 7-days recall of pills taken. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.

Results

The median age of adolescents was 15 years, 56% were female, 37.7% were orphans, 41% were being cared for by their grandparents, 6.9% were living with siblings with no adult figure, and two were living on their own. The majority (93%) reported optimal adherence, 92% had not missed a clinic appointment in the past 30 days, and 74.4% knew that if they skipped doses, the viral load would increase and they would get sick. Over half (56%) had been reminded by their caregivers to take their medication and 96% talked to their caregivers regularly about their medication.

Conclusion

A supportive environment provided through the Teen Clubs and in the home were the main facilitators for adherence. Strategies to improve adherence among adolescents should consider the importance of the involvement of caregivers in the adolescents' visits to their clinic.

Abbreviations

ART

antiretroviral therapy

PHIV

perinatal HIV

SRH

sexual and reproductive health

SSA

sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the facility staff for their assistance and support. We would like to thank you for following the instructions above very closely in advance. These two authors contributed equally.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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