Understanding ART adherence: exploring the structural and psychosocial determinants of antiretroviral therapy adherence among pregnant women in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

Abstract

Walking a mile in someone elses shoes is a phrase often used to state that one should not judge another until you experience what they experience on a daily basis. The question I had when I started my studies is why people do not take their antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication when the medication is readily available and especially when it is given to people who require it, free of charge. This question has perplexed me as I have seen my father not take his chronic medication for his heart condition and then later on seeing my partner not complete her course of prescribed antibiotics when she had a bacterial infection. This seemingly simple question led me to this doctoral study.