Determinants Of Medication Adherence Among Patients With Tuberculosis: A Study At Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Adherence to tuberculosis (TB) medication has a paramount significance to the management of patients with tuberculosis. Researchers have considerably developed an interest to explore various aspects that yielded information about TB medication adherence. Determinants of TB medication adherence are considered factors that could prevent or enable patients to either adhere or default to the treatment. This study, therefore, sought to explore the determinants among patients with TB at Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria. The outcome measures include knowledge about TB, perception of TB treatment, level of adherence to TB medication, relationship among these variables and predictors of the medication adherence. A quantitative cross-sectional research method was employed to collect data by distributing structured questionnaires to 137 patients with TB. The data were analysed by means of Chi-square, Pearson‟s correlation test and Binary logistic regression analysis using STATA version 15. The result established that majority of the respondents had poor knowledge about TB; more than half of patients sampled wrongly perceived TB treatment, and more than onethird did not adhere to TB medication. The findings also identified positive significant relationship between patients‟ knowledge about TB and their perception of TB treatment. Being employed, acquiring information about TB from family and friends, poor perception of TB treatment and poor knowledge about TB were the predictors of the respondents‟ non-adherence to TB medication. Meanwhile, unemployment, media source of information about TB, good knowledge about TB and good perception of TB treatment were the enablers of TB medication adherence. In conclusion, it is important to intensify direct observed treatment strategy (DOTS) and comprehensive health education through the media to address the barriers and improve adherence to the medication.