Abstract
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are often dealing with a range of issues that make life more difficult because of the limited emotional, spiritual, psychological, social, physical and clinical support which consequently lead to poor physical health and quality of life. The holistic care of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS involves promoting psychological and physiological well-being as well as fostering socio-cultural relationships and supporting the fulfillment of spiritual aspirations. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study among HIV-infected patients receiving a holistic approach of care model from January 2015 to December 2018 in Kampala district, Uganda. The study involved adult individuals aged 18 and above from whom demographics and other information were obtained. All eligible participants were selected using stratified random sampling from the parishes and systematic random sampling to select study participants. We investigated the clinical profile and the factors associated with viral load suppression among HIV-infected patients receiving a holistic approach of care model in Kampala District. The data was analyzed using STATA version 13. 0. Results: A total of 910 patients were enrolled. 676 (74.3%) were female; 453 (49.8%) were between 18 and 39 years. 324 (35.6%) were either overweight or obese. 769 (84.5%) had viral load beyond detectable limits, 904 (99.3%) were adhering to HIV treatment. 867(95.3%) were virally suppressed. The age group 40–59 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 2.85, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.36–5.97, P = 0.005) and good adherence (aOR = 12.9, 95%CI:1.86–81.07, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with viral load suppression.
Conclusion: The holistic care model supports patients in all facets of their lives, resulting into improved treatment outcomes. Our findings show that age and adherence are linked to viral load suppression among HIV-infected adults receiving a holistic approach of care model.
