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Effect of Social Support Interventions on Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of social support interventions (SSIs) on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV. We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library in September 9, 2020. English-language publications of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in peer-reviewed journals were considered eligible. To estimate the effects of SSIs on adherence to ART, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random effects models. Subgroup analysis was used to investigate the sources of heterogeneity. Of 243 records identified, 17 controlled trials were included. The meta-analysis found significant and moderate effect size in the improvement of adherence to ART from SSIs. Subgroup analysis showed that the study design, follow up duration, source of social support, and year of publication significantly moderated the effect sizes in the meta-analysis. Our findings support the hypothesis that social support interventions can improve adherence to ART. Using various types and sources of social support, further research is needed to assess the effect of SSIs on adherence to ART across different settings.

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Availability of data and material

All data analyzed during the study are available within the article and its supplementary information files.

Code availability

The datasets analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Zahra Jorjoran Shushtari & Homeira Sajjadi

  2. Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Yahya Salimi

  3. Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

    Toktam Paykani

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  1. Zahra Jorjoran Shushtari
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  2. Yahya Salimi
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  3. Homeira Sajjadi
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  4. Toktam Paykani
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Contributions

Z.J, Y.S, and T.P designed the study. Y.S performed the literature searches. Z.J, T.P and H.S conducted the title and abstract screening. Z.J and T.P conducted the full text screening and data extraction. Y.S, Z.J, and T.P performed the analysis. T.P, Z.J, and Y.S drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the results. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toktam Paykani.

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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran (IR.USWR.REC.1399.222).

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Shushtari, Z.J., Salimi, Y., Sajjadi, H. et al. Effect of Social Support Interventions on Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. AIDS Behav 27, 1619–1635 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03894-0

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