Uptake of Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) and Its Associated Factors among People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Kajiado County, Kenya

Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) involves use of isoniazid by People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) who have latent TB for a period not less than six months to prevent active TB infection. Despite the critical role of IPT in reducing HIV/TB co-infection related morbidity and deaths, not much has been done to examine why its full implementation has not been achieved and the probable solution. The objective of this study was to determine uptake of isoniazid preventive therapy and its associated factors among people living with HIV in Kajiado County, Kenya. Analytical Cross-sectional study was carried out in purposely selected four Hospitals. Two hundred and seventy two (272) study participants were recruited through systematic sampling with 100% response rate. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Cross tabulation, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to identify factors influencing IPT uptake. The study found out that IPT uptake was at 72%. Logistic regression analysis, established the existence of a significant positive association (p-value=0.000, βii=1.729) between patient knowledge among PLHIV and IPT uptake. A correlation analysis outcome shows the existence of a significant positive relationship (r=0.332, sig. =0.000) between patients knowledge and having ever used IPT at 0.01 level in a two tailed. The 72% of IPT uptake was sufficient. Patient knowledge factors had the highest influence on IPT amongst PLWHIV. The role of health care givers and health centers as IPT information disseminators and IPT knowledge source respectively, was invaluable in this study.