ABSTRACT

The study investigates factors affecting patients adherence to their AntiRetroviral therapeutic advice. Five research questions were raised to guide this study

Descriptive survey design was used for this study. The population of the study comprises of 6697 active registered PEPFAR clients of the PEPAR department in University of Benin Health Centre. A convenience sampling technique was adopted for the selection of the sample of 100 respondents from the population. This sampling technique was used because it ensures that the researcher selects a diverse group within a given population based on their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher. The research instrument used in this study was a self-structured questionnaire that sought information from the clients in the sampled PEPFAR department of UBTH, Benin City. The instrument was validated by the supervisor and two other lecturers in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education for scrutiny in order to achieve content validity. The reliability of the instrument was determined by the test-retest method within two weeks interval using the same number of respondents and questionnaire from observation to establish the reliability of the instrument. The data gotten from the administered questionnaires were tabulated and grouped in terms of the research questions under investigation and computed into simple percentage, which is represented using a histogram chart.  

Result of this study revealed that; The level of patient’s adherence to their Anti-Retroviral Therapy is very high and forgetfulness is a factor affecting patient’s adherence to their1z Anti-Retroviral Therapy. It was recommended among others that; the client should set phone alarm to remind them to take their medication and there should be more awareness program on mass media to eliminate stigma.