Introduction: Teen clubs are already known to improve retention rates for adolescents on antiretroviral therapy. This study aimed to find out if this model also improves virological suppression and reduces virological failure. Viral suppression monitoring is a golden ART programme performance indicator. HIV treatment outcomes are poor among adolescents compared to adults. Different service delivery models are being implemented to address this; among them is the Teen Club model. Currently, it is clear that teen clubs improve treatment adherence (short-term impact), but there is a knowledge gap regarding the long-term impact. The study compared the rates of virological suppression and failure among adolescents in Teen Clubs and those on the Standard of Care (SoC) model. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 110 adolescents in teen clubs and 123 adolescents in SOC from six health facilities were selected using stratified simple random sampling. The participants were followed for 24 months. The data were analysed using STATA version 16.0. Univariate analyses were performed for demographic and clinical variables. A chi-squared test was used to assess the difference between proportions. The crude and adjusted relative risks were calculated using a binomial regression model. Results: At 24 months, 56% of adolescents in the Standard of Care (SoC) arm had viral load suppression compared to 90% in the Teen Club arm. Of those who achieved viral load suppression at 24 months, about 22.7% (SoC) and 76.4% (Teen Club) achieved undetectable viral load suppression rates. Adolescents in the Teen Club arm had a lower viral load than those in the SoC arm (adjusted RR 0.23, 95% CI: 0.11-0.61; p = 0.002 adjusted for age and gender). Teen Club and SoC adolescents had virological failure rates of 3.1% and 10.9%, respectively. The adjusted RR was 0.16, 95% CI: 0.03-0.78; p = 0.023; those in Teen Clubs were less likely to have virological failure relative to those in SoC after adjusting for age, sex, and place of residence. Conclusion: The study found that Teen Club models are more effective at achieving virological suppression among HIV positive adolescents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.