Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 26:16:59-71.
doi: 10.2147/HIV.S426196. eCollection 2024.

Determinants of Loss to Follow Up Among Adult People Living with HIV Enrolled in Antiretroviral Therapy in West Wollega Public Hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia

Siraj Benti Biratu  1 , Abreha Addis Gesese  2
Affiliations

Determinants of Loss to Follow Up Among Adult People Living with HIV Enrolled in Antiretroviral Therapy in West Wollega Public Hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia

Siraj Benti Biratu et al. HIV AIDS (Auckl). .

Abstract

Background: Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, clients loss to follow-up (LTFU) from the treatment poses a paramount problem to the public, healthcare, and patient outcome. Thus, this study identified determinants of loss to follow-up to ART among adult clients in West Wollega hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia, in 2021.

Methods: An unmatched case-control study was conducted and a systematic random sampling technique was used. Data were collected from patient charts by three BSC nurses and three card reporters using a structured checklist. Then, it was entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) were used to present the results. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed using the backward stepwise method. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and p-values <0.05 were used to declare significant association with loss to follow-up. Model fitness was checked using Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit.

Results: A total of 399 (133 patients and 266 controls) participated in this study. Rural residents (AOR:3.46, 95% CI:1.65, 7.25), male patient (AOR: 2.65 95% CI 1.54,4.55), lack of formal education (AOR: 4.35, 95% CI 1.53, 12.41), base line CD4 ≤350 (AOR: 5.25, 95% CI 1.93,14.24), poor functional status (AOR: 4.298, 95% CI 5.33,34.62) and WHO stages III & IV (AOR: 2.65, 95% CI 1.68,4.19), and tuberculosis co-infection (AOR: 2.82, 95% CI 1.11,7.45) were determinant factors of loss to follow up.

Conclusion: Rural residence, male sex, daily laborer, no formal education, baseline CD4 count <350 cells/mm3, baseline advanced WHO clinical stage, and TB co-infection were determinants of LTFU. Therefore, emphasis should be given to the identified factors along with awareness creation and health education sessions. Regular TB screening, optimal adherence regardless of their stay on ART, and follow-up study are recommended.

Keywords: ART; People Living with HIV; West Ethiopia; adults; determinants; loss to follow-up.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests for this work.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. UNAIDS. UNAIDS fact sheet on the latest global and regional statistics on the status of the AIDS epidemic 1. Communications and Global Advocacy. communications@unaids.org UNAIDS 2022 estimates and additional data are available at aidsinfo.unaids.org; 2022.
    1. WHO fact sheet. HIV and AIDS. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids. Accessed July 2023.
    1. PEPFAR. Ethiopia country operational plan COP 2021 strategic direction summary. Available from: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Ethiopia_SDS_Final-Publ.... Accessed February 2, 2024.
    1. Johanna Harvey world AIDS Day 2017: aging with HIV. Available from: https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2017/november/world-aids-day.... Accessed February 2, 2024.
    1. De La Mata NL, Nguyen KV, Merati TP, et al. Trends in CD4 cell count response to first-line antiretroviral treatment in HIV-positive patients from Asia, 2003–2013: TREAT Asia HIV observational database low intensity transfer. Int J STD AIDS. 2017;28(13):1282–1291. PMID: 28632481; PMCID: PMC5805469. doi:10.1177/0956462417699538 - DOI - PMC - PubMed