307744
Role of Health-Focused Economic Empowerment Programs Aimed at Increasing ART Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Uganda: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Despite the provision of free antiretrovirals (ARVs) in some developing countries for those eligible to receive treatment, economically disadvantaged populations face compounding issues related to poverty and living with HIV. Adhering to prescribed drug regimens due to costs associated with treatment becomes challenging for these populations and may contribute to sub-optimal adherence rates. The key question, therefore, is: would an economic empowerment program affect adherence to ARVs?
Description:
Suubi+Adherence: Evaluating a youth-focused economic empowerment approach to HIV treatment adherence, measures ART adherence in real-time among HIV-positive youth ages 10-16 years (N = 736) in southern Uganda (PI: Ssewamala; 1R01HD074949-01). Two groups of participants will be compared in this 5-year cluster randomized controlled trial, currently in its first phase of data collection. One group will receive an economic empowerment intervention with proven success among a comparable demographic in the same region (Ssewamala et al., 2008-2013) and a package of bolstered standard of care. The other group will receive only the bolstered standard of care.
Lessons Learned:
We hypothesize that the group receiving the evidence-based economic empowerment intervention will show higher rates of adherence over a sustained period of time, and improved levels of psychosocial functioning, decreased levels of sexual risk-taking intentions and behavior, and better overall health outcomes. The findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of health-focused economic empowerment interventions for AIDS-affected youth in low-resource communities (Ssewamala et al., 2008-2013).
Recommendations:
Economic empowerment interventions may have policy and practice implications for HIV treatment adherence among poverty-impacted youth in sub-Saharan Africa.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsChronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the need for programs focusing on economically empowering HIV-positive, poverty-impacted children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy in low-resource settings, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa.
Describe an economic empowerment intervention (RCT) currently underway in Uganda among HIV-positive youth on antiretroviral therapy.
Discuss the potential role economic empowerment programs play in improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive, poverty-impacted populations in low-resource settings.
Keyword(s): Youth, Adherence
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract Author on the content because I am responsible for coordinating some of the data to which this abstract pertains.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.