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Predictors of antiretroviral therapy initiation in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa: Findings from a prospective cohort study

Sy, KTL; Tariq, S; Ramjee, G; Blanchard, K; Leu, C-S; Kelvin, EA; Exner, TM; ... Hoffman, S; + view all (2021) Predictors of antiretroviral therapy initiation in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa: Findings from a prospective cohort study. PLoS ONE , 16 (2) 10.1371/journal.pone.0246744. Green open access

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Abstract

Despite expanded antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility in South Africa, many people diagnosed with HIV do not initiate ART promptly, yet understanding of the reasons is limited. Using data from an 8-month prospective cohort interview study of women and men newly-diagnosed with HIV in three public-sector primary care clinics in the eThekwini (Durban) region, South Africa, 2010–2014, we examined if theoretically-relevant social-structural, social-cognitive, psychosocial, and health status indicators were associated with time to ART initiation. Of 459 diagnosed, 350 returned to the clinic for their CD4+ test results (linkage); 153 (33.3%) were ART-eligible according to treatment criteria at the time; 115 (75.2% of those eligible) initiated ART (median = 12.86 weeks [95% CI: 9.75, 15.97] after linkage). In adjusted Cox proportional hazard models, internalized stigma was associated with a 65% decrease in the rate of ART initiation (Adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19–0.80) during the period less than four weeks after linkage to care, but not four or more weeks after linkage to care, suggesting that stigma-reduction interventions implemented shortly after diagnosis may accelerate ART uptake. As reported by others, older age was associated with more rapid ART initiation (AHR for 1-year age increase: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.07) and higher CD4+ cell count (≥300μL vs. <150μL) was associated with a lower rate of initiation (AHR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.19–0.80). Several other factors that were assessed prior to diagnosis, including stronger belief in traditional medicine, higher endorsement of stigma toward people living with HIV, food insecurity, and higher psychological distress, were found to be in the expected direction of association with ART initiation, but confidence intervals were wide and could not exclude a null finding.

Type: Article
Title: Predictors of antiretroviral therapy initiation in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa: Findings from a prospective cohort study
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246744
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246744
Language: English
Additional information: © 2021 Sy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health > Infection and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10127665
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