Table 3. Perceptions about HIV/AIDS and ART.
| Non-Adherent (n = 188) | Adherent (n = 710) | Total (n = 898) | Crude OR (95% CI) | P value | |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Sociocultural/Religious beliefs | |||||
| God/prayer can cure HIV | |||||
| Agree | 143 (76.1) | 427 (60.1) | 570 (63.5) | 2.10 (1.45–3.04) | 0.000 |
| Else | 45 (23.9) | 283 (39.1) | 328 (36.5) | 1.00 | |
| Traditional healers/medicine can cure HIV | |||||
| Agree | 9 (4.8) | 35 (4.9) | 44 (4.9) | 0.97 (0.45–2.05) | 1.000 |
| Else | 179 (95.2) | 675 (95.1) | 854 (95.1) | 1.00 | |
| ART works better when combined with prayers | |||||
| Agree | 126 (67.0) | 383 (53.9) | 509 (56.7) | 1.73 (1.23–2.43) | 0.002 |
| Else | 62 (33.0) | 327 (46.1) | 389 (43.3) | 1.00 | |
| Perceptions about ART and food | |||||
| ART is not necessary without food | |||||
| Agree | 37 (19.7) | 154 (21.7) | 191 (21.3) | 0.88 (0.59–1.32) | 0.618 |
| Else | 151 (80.3) | 556 (78.3) | 707 (78.7) | 1.00 | |
| ART is not effective without food | |||||
| Agree | 20 (10.6) | 77 (10.8) | 97 (10.8) | 0.97 (0.58–1.64) | 1.000 |
| Else | 168 (89.4) | 633 (89.2) | 801 (89.2) | 1.00 | |
| ART can be harmful without food | |||||
| Agree | 58 (30.9) | 220 (31.0) | 278 (31.0) | 0.99 (0.79–1.40) | 1.000 |
| Else | 130 (69.1) | 490 (69.0) | 620 (69.0) | 1.00 | |
| Perceptions about ART adherence | |||||
| Short treatment interruption is not harmful to a long-term ART user | |||||
| Agree | 10 (5.3) | 71 (10.0) | 81 (9.0) | 0.50 (0.25–1.00) | 0.064 |
| Else | 178 (94.7) | 639 (90.0) | 817 (91.0) | 1.00 | |
| Skipping few ART doses is not harmful to a long-term ART user | |||||
| Agree | 10 (5.3) | 48 (6.8) | 58 (6.5) | 0.77 (0.38–1.56) | 0.584 |
| Else | 178 (94.7) | 662 (93.2) | 840 (93.5) | 1.00 | |
| Skipping ART doses can worsen the disease | |||||
| Agree | 135 (71.8) | 434 (61.1) | 569 (63.4) | 0.69 (0.46–1.03) | 0.087 |
| Else | 53 (28.2) | 276 (38.9) | 329 (36.6) | 1.00 | |
| ART should be taken life-long | |||||
| Agree | 172 (91.5) | 651 (91.7) | 823 (91.6) | 1.00 (0.45–2.23) | 1.000 |
| Else | 16 (8.5) | 59 (8.3) | 75 (8.4) | 1.00 | |
| Perceptions about ART | |||||
| Perceived effectiveness of ART | |||||
| Yes | 176 (93.6) | 630 (88.7) | 806 (89.8) | 1.86 (0.99–3.49) | 0.067 |
| No | 12 (6.4) | 80 (11.3) | 92 (10.2) | 1.00 | |
| Perceived ART harmfulness | |||||
| Yes | 29 (15.4) | 70 (9.9) | 99 (11.0) | 1.68 (1.10–2.55) | 0.042 |
| No | 159 (84.6) | 640 (90.1) | 799 (89.0) | 1.00 |
ART, antiretroviral therapy; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.