Very high levels of patient adherence (greater than 95 percent) are required for antiretroviral therapy (ART) to be effective and to prevent the emergence of resistant viral strains (Paterson et al. 2000; Ickovics et al. 2002). Since 1997, antiretroviral (ARV) medications have been available in India through the private sector and some employer-supported health insurance programs. It is estimated that India has 5.1 million HIV-infected persons (NACO 2004), some of whom have been on ART for several years. However, very little information is available on the levels of adherence to ART among people living with HIV/AIDS in India. With increased availability of ART, HIV-positive individuals are living healthier lives and continuing or resuming sexual activity. But, optimism related to ART's success in slowing disease progression, reducing viral load, and improving health status may lead to more risky sexual practices and a possible increase in transmission of infections. Determining the sexual behavior of HIV-positive persons on ART is therefore an area of special interest and concern. To meet these knowledge gaps, the Horizons Program, in collaboration with research partners in Delhi and Pune, conducted a study to assess current levels of adherence to ART among a sample of people living with HIV/AIDS, identify the factors that influence their adherence to treatment, and determine their sexual risk behaviors. The study also examined the economic burden of ART on the household. Findings from the study provide important insights that are immediately relevant to the scale-up of the national ART program, which was launched in April 2004. [OCLC Accession No.: 70645391]
Authors
Sarna, Avina, Gupta, Indrani, Pujari, Sanjay, Sengar, A.K., Garg, Rajiv, Weiss, Ellen
Related Organizations
- Appears in Collections
- South Asian Born-Digital NGO Reports Collection Project
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- Washington, DC
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- http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/indiaart.pdf
