Factors associated with adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among adult males living with hiv in Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Lira City, Northern Uganda. A cross-sectional study.

Background The use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in the management and prevention of HIV/AIDS. This study aims to assess the level of adherence and factors associated with adherence to ART among Adult males living with HIV in Lira Regional Referral Hospital. Methodology A cross-sectional study that assessed self-reported treatment adherence among adult males living with HIV who are accessing drugs for the treatment from LRH. Random sampling was employed to select 380 participants, and data were collected using a questionnaire and entered into SPSS software for analysis. Results 341 respondents were included, 58.7% aged between 18 and 30 years, 24% were in the range of 31-45 years, 17.0% between 46 and 60 years, and a mere 0.3% aged 61years and above. Non-adherence to ART was perceived to result from individual factors such as forgetfulness, alcohol abuse, disclosure, knowledge about HIV and its treatment, among others, and health system-related factors such as distance to the health facility, waiting time at the facility, relationship with the healthcare provider, and privacy, among others. Most respondents (49.9%) take one pill daily, with 31.7% taking two pills, 18.2% taking more than two, and 0.3% not taking any pills. Weekly adherence data showed that 39.0% never miss a dose, while others miss one (23.5%), two (20.5%), or more than two doses (17.0%) per week. This results in 43.1% of respondents having good weekly adherence and 56.9% having poor adherence. Monthly adherence reveals that 37.5% never miss a dose, but 4.1% miss one dose, 15.5% miss two doses, and 42.8% miss more than two doses, leading to 46.9% good adherence and 53.1% poor adherence monthly. Conclusion Non-adherence to ART was attributed to 48 various factors, such as alcohol consumption, forgetfulness, and stigma. Recommendation Healthcare providers should minimize waiting times in healthcare facilities to improve adherence.