Willingness to take Antiretroviral Drugs in a high HIV prevalence Setting: the case of Adults living in Chawama, Lusaka, Zambia

The willingness to take antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) has been found to be associated with several factors. We investigated the level of willingness to take antiretroviral drugs and factors likely to be associated with willingness among adults living in Chawama township. This was a cross-sectional study of 409 adult respondents aged 18 years and above, recruited by a simple random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio- demographic data and other factors likely to influence willingness. Determinants of willingness and association between variables of interest were examined using multivariate analysis. Results revealed that about 52.8% of females and 46.9% of males participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 31years (SD±11.60). The response rate was 99%. A high level of willingness was observed, with more than 50% of participants willing to take ARVs if they were found legible for ART. Some of the key factors that were found significantly associated with willingness were the aspect of being male or female, with females being more likely to be willing than males, the perceived effectiveness of ARVs, the need for consent to begin ARV treatment with females being more likely to needing consent than men, and fear of discrimination. There is a high willingness to take antiretroviral drugs among community members suggesting a high potential to influence individual acceptability and general uptake of ARVs. Furthermore, stigmatizing attitudes and socio-cultural influences towards people taking ARVs persist and interventions to reduce these influences are needed.