Evaluating the relationship between adherence to antiretroviral therapy and health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS in Northwestern Nigeria

Antiretroviral therapies have remained the cornerstone to improving the quality of life among people living with HIV. Adherence to these antiretroviral therapies continues to be crucial to the clinical outcomes for people living with HIV and their overall well-being. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between adherence to antiretroviral therapy and health-related quality of life for people living with HIV. This was a cross-sectional analytical study involving people living with HIV accessing care in three tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. The study involved 877 respondents, who were selected using a multi-staged systematic sampling and administered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire, and the 15D QoL Questionnaire. Descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 21. Eight hundred and seventy-seven people living with HIV were enrolled in the study, with the majority being females (64.5%). Of these, 66% were between the ages of 31–50 years, and 63.5% were married. More than half of the participants (63.8%) had secondary-level education and earned less than 30 USD per month. Non-adherence was reported in 456 participants (52.5%), with a mean QoL score of 0.97 ± 0.42. The mean quality of life score was significantly lower (p < 0.001) for non-adherent participants (0.96, S.D. ± 0.33), compared to adherent participants (0.98, S.D. ± 0.04). A multiple linear regression model showed being over 60 years old (β = -0.020, p = 0.032), being divorced (β =-0.021, p = 0.04), and having a comorbid condition (β = -0.013, p = 0.002) was associated with lower quality of life, while medication adherence (β = 0.09, p = 0.017) was a positive predictor of quality of life. Adherence to ART was suboptimal in this study. Elderly People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), especially those with comorbid conditions or any of the negative predictors of QoL, are at increased risk of poor QoL and, thus, should be prioritized for QoL optimization strategies in HIV clinics. This calls for the need to review and optimize current strategies to enhance adherence to HIV care.