Impact of Educational Attainment on Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Individuals Living With HIV/AIDS in Benue State Patients

Abstract

This study examined the impact of educational status on the adherence to antiretroviral therapy of individuals living 
with HIV/AIDS in Benue State. The descriptive survey design was implemented in the investigation. The study 
included 52,400 individuals who were living with HIV/AIDS and undergoing antiretroviral therapy for a minimum 
of one year in all General Hospitals in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state. Asample size of 400 individuals 
living with HIV was obtained from the population through two-stage sampling. Data was collected using a 33-item 
questionnaire (PDVAARTQ) that was valid and had a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.723. The research 
questions were addressed using the mean and standard deviation. The hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 alpha level 
using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Chi-square. This result reveals that those with higher educational 
status have a slightly higher adherence to ART, while respondents with lower educational status also have slightly 
lower adherence to ART. Therefore, either higher or lower educational attainment is associated with low adherence 
to antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV/AIDS in Benue State. The results of the correlation revealed 
that educational status does significantly predict adherence to antiretroviral therapy among people living with 
HIV/AIDS in Benue State (P > 0.05). It was suggested that comprehensive support systems be established to 
address the multiple factors that affect adherence, including medical, psychological, and social support that is 
customized to the individual's needs.