A Comparative Study on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence Among the Tribal and Non-tribal Populations Living With HIV/AIDS in Ranchi, India

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the most serious public health exigencies across the globe. However, equally brawny is the global commitment to halt new HIV infections from occurring and ensure that everyone with the disease has access to HIV treatment.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out at an antiretroviral therapy (ART) center in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, in 2023. Since most patients across the state were registered for ART treatment there, it was selected as the study site. From this center, 30 tribal and 30 non-tribal people were chosen by a random number table. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) was used to enter the data, and a template was generated. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software for Windows, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Chi-square and t-test were used to find an association, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The majority of the patients, i.e., 40%, were from the 40-50 age category with a mean age of 35.25 years, mean weight was 49.41 kg, and mean per capita income was Rs. 2,215.72. We found the prevalence of ART medication adherence among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) to be 88.3%, the degree of nonadherence was 21.7%, and the causes of the nonadherence were long commutes, high travel costs, and wage loss while visiting an ART center.

Conclusion: Despite the best support system by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), which encompasses free drugs, counseling, and reminders, a fifth of patients still were not consistent with their treatments. We need to focus on travel costs and distance to improve this, as these were the main causes of nonadherence to ART.