Tuberculosis treatment adherence among tuberculosis patients: insights from a cross-sectional study in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in South Africa. Poor TB treatment adherence (TBTA) is associated with sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors. This cross-sectional study investigated TBTA among TB patients aged 18 years and above. A sample of 110 TB patients participated in the study, of whom 65 (59%) were males and 45 (41%) females, with a mean age of 34.62 ± 9.77. Almost one-third (32%) of the respondents reported forgetting to take their medication. The reasons they gave for non-adherence to TB medication included: (i) simply forgot (21%); (ii) fell asleep/slept through dose time (13%); (iii) had problems taking pills at specified times (12%); (iv) were busy with other things (12%); (v) were away from home (11%); and (vi) drank alcohol (10%). Unlike prior studies, sex and age were not associated with TBTA. However, the following factors were significantly associated with TBTA: (i) the number of people living in a household and sharing the main meal of the day (X2 [2] = 11.42; p = .003; V = 0,32) [increased non-adherence in larger households]; (ii) no one to take care of them or remind them to take their TB medication/take care of self (X2 [1] = 4.90; p = .027; V = 0.21) [increased non-adherence in the group who had someone taking care of them or reminding them to take their TB medication]; and (iii) family support (t [108] = 2.08; p = .040; d = 0.43) [increased non-adherence in the group who reported a higher level of family support]. Counterintuitively, the results showed increased non-adherence among respondents who reported having someone taking care of or reminding them to take their TB medication and those who reported getting support from their family.