الفهرس 
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Abstract
Treatment adherence is crucial for enhancing the therapeutic outcome of antiretroviral treatment. Identifying predictors for good adherence and planning strategies to improve the level of compliance to ART is a significant medical, economic, psychosocial, and health policy concern.
The objective of the study is to assess the adherence rate to ART among HIV patients, investigate predictors of non-adherence, also to assess HIV-related stigma among HIV patients in Alexandria, Egypt.
This study was a cross-sectional study conducted in Alexandria Fever Hospital from January 2021 to December 2021. The total number of patients enrolled in the study was 785 adult HIV patients from Alexandria and other near governorates including but not limited to (Marsa Matrooh, ELBehira, Kafer Elsheikh).
We used a face-to-face interview questionnaire, and the session lasted for about 10-15 minutes, The researcher conducted the interview in a quiet, comfortable setting. It consisted of 3 domains, the first domain covered socio-demographic data (7 questions), the second domain is covering factors related to ART treatment (6 questions), and the last domain consisted of 12 questions covering stigma using a short version of the stigma scale. The stigma scale had a good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha equal to 0.743).
The data collected was analyzed, using (SPSS ver.22 Chicago, IL, USA). Quantitative variables were described using mean and standard deviation or median and range. Categorical variables were described using percent and frequency. The associations between categorical variables were examined by chi-square test or Fisher’s exact or Monte Carlo test. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess predictors of adherence to ART.
The majority of the participants were males 72.2% (567), and the mean age of the participants was 37.3. More than half of them 56.4% had some degree of education, and 52.2% of the participants had a fixed job. We found that 51.0% of our study participants had been on ART for two to five years.
According to the multivariate logistic regression model, predictors that were found to be significant to adherence include gender, risk behaviors to HIV, employment, and satisfaction with the HIV clinic.
Regarding stigma among the participants, we found a high median stigma score specifically in “disclosure concerns” and “concerns about public attitudes” subscales. Males had a higher median score than females in “disclosure concerns” and “Negative self-image”. We found also that males had higher total scores than females.
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS