Factors determining non-adherence to drug treatment among tuberculosis patients in Halaba special woreda

a case-control study

Abstract

Background: Adherence is defined as the extent to which patients take anti-tuberculosis drugs as prescribed by their health care providers for the entire length of time. Non-adherence is the patient’s inability or refusal to take anti- tuberculosis drugs as prescribed by health professionals. It adversely affects treatment success rate and increases the risks of morbidity, mortality, and multi drug resistance tuberculosis both at the individual and community levels.

Objective: To identify factors that determine non-adherence to anti- tuberculosis treatment among tuberculosis patients in Halaba special woreda.

Methods: Facility based unmatched case control study was conducted in eight- governmental health facilities. One hundred sixty six cases and 166 controls were participated in the study since 2-27, March 2014. Both cases and controls were selected from standardized tuberculosis registration book. Data were entered to Epidata virsion3.5.1database and analyzed using SPSS windows version 16. Descriptive statistics was performed to measure summery of data. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to see the association between independent and dependent variables. Significant variables with their p<0.25 in bivariate analysis were entered to multivariable logistic regression and final model was constructed.

Result: Males constitute 50.6% (84) of the cases and 57.8% (96) of controls. Major predisposing factors to anti- tuberculosis treatment non-adherence were anti- tuberculosis drug side effect (AOR=5.46,95%, CI:2.03-14.63), Pills burden (AOR=5.09,95% CI:2.94-8.82), Feeling better (AOR=4.04,95% CI:1.48-11.04), and lack of service satisfaction (AOR=3.27,95% CI:1.71-6.26). 

Conclusion: The major risk factors for non-adherence among the study participants were anti- tuberculosis drug side effect, pills burden, feeling better, and lack of service satisfaction