Adherence to Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Adherence to Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Trop Med. 2015;2015:189232 Authors: Yakasai AM, Hamza M, Dalhat MM, Bello M, Gadanya MA, Yaqub ZM, Ibrahim DA, Hassan-Hanga F Abstract Adherence to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is not clearly defined. This meta-analysis determines the prevalence and predictors of adherence to ACT. Twenty-five studies and six substudies met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of ACT adherence in the public sector was significantly higher compared to retail sector (76% and 45%, resp., P < 0.0001). However, ACT adherence was similar across different ACT dosing regimens and formulations. In metaregression analysis prevalence estimates of adherence significantly decrease with increasing year of study publication (P = 0.046). Factors found to be significant predictors of ACT adherence were years of education ≥ 7 {odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) = 1.63 (1.05-2.53)}, higher income {2.0 (1.35-2.98)}, fatty food {4.6 (2.49-8.50)}, exact number of pills dispensed {4.09 (1.60-10.7)}, and belief in traditional medication for malaria {0.09 (0.01-0.78)}. The accuracy of pooled estimates could be limited by publication bias, and differing methods and thresholds of assessing adherence. To improve ACT adherence, educational programs to increase awareness and understanding of ACT dosing regimen are interventions urgentl...
Source: Journal of Tropical Medicine - Category: Tropical Medicine Tags: J Trop Med Source Type: research