Factors Influencing Management of Antiretroviral in School Going Children – a Case of Nyang’oma Health Facility, Bondo District, Siaya County

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess those factors influencing the management of Antiretroviral Therapy in school going children in Bondo District, Siaya County, Nyang’oma Health Care Facility. The objective of this research is to assess how time factor influences the management of antiretroviral management in school going children, assess related challenges faced by the caregivers of children undergoing antiretroviral therapy, their dietary requirements and how the age of the child influence antiretroviral therapy and management during their schooling. The study employed a cross sectional descriptive survey research and used questionnaires and structured interview guide to collect data. The target population of this research was school going children on antiretroviral therapy and their caregivers who may be HIV positive or not and are accessing antiretroviral treatment and care from Nyang’oma health care facility. The sample size for study was 72 units, 36 adult caregivers and 36 children between the ages of 8 to 18. Data analysis on socio-demographic assessment, antiretroviral management in school going children, choice and place of livelihood by the caregivers of such children, diet requirement for children undergoing antiretroviral therapy, qualitative data, some of the perceived problems and their solutions was done by use of inferential statistics of partial correlation of the independent variables of time, caregivers, diet and age of the child against the dependent variable of effective management of antiretroviral therapy. Major findings of the study depicted that 66.7% of caregivers worked in the same town as the school of the child and had to be home to give medication to ensure proper adherence, 94.6% of the children respondents attended day schools nearby their homes, 86.2% of the children took their antiretroviral at home, 79.3% of the children attended clinic other than their earlier appointment days, 58.6% of the children did not attend co-curricular activities away from school and home, while 71.4% of the children respondents were in primary school and 7.1% were in secondary school. The study concluded that there was a strong relationship between the independent variables, of time, caregivers, diet, age of the child on antiretroviral and the dependent variable, successful management of antiretroviral therapy. It also concluded that time adherence, caregivers to the children under antiretroviral, good diet, age of the child and routine clinic visits are important to the successful management of antiretroviral therapy and that younger children in primary level need more and closer care from their caregivers, teachers and social workers than those children in secondary school in order to solve the challenges of good antiretroviral treatment. The study recommends that more sensitization and capacity building should be done to caregivers of children undergoing antiretroviral since most of them have education level below secondary level and the school teachers since they spend most time with the children. It further recommends that caregivers and teachers should be capacitated in guiding and counseling skills on HIV care, the ministry of health and education should ensure that there is a staff in charge of children undergoing antiretroviral therapy in schools with the school health care facilities upgraded to meet the demands of antiretroviral treatment