Facilitators and Barriers to Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care Among Adolescents Living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia: A Mixed Methods Study

Little is known about the factors that contribute to the losses during stages of the HIV continuum of care (CoC) and specifically during the latter stages of antiretroviral (ART) adherence and retention in HIV care among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS (ALHA) in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a mixed-methods study: six focus group discussions with 43 ALHA (age 17–19); in-depth interviews with four (age 18–19): and survey-based interviews with 330 ALHA (age 18–19) to identify, understand, and describe factors contributing to the losses in the latter stages of the CoC among ALHA in Zambia. Through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, ALHA identified barriers at the intrapersonal level (e.g., poverty; lack of adequate nutrition; fear of stigma), interpersonal level (e.g., stigma; disrespectful treatment by providers), institutional/facility level (e.g., lack of adolescent specific services), and community level (e.g., lack of collaboration among organizations; social norms). In quantitative interviews, we found that 46% (101/220) of ALHA reported missing any clinic appointments in the past three months, and about 19% (41/221) reporting missing one or more doses of ART in the last week. Logistic regressions indicate that walking to the site of appointment and being currently employed were predictive of missed visits. Findings highlight the complexity of the multiple factors that are unique to ALHA in Zambia, which should be addressed to improve adherence to ART and retention in HIV.