Background: Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) is an effective intervention for
prevention of tuberculosis (TB) among HIV positive patients, and its use is recommended
by the World Health Organization (WHO). Unfortunately the uptake of IPT in Kenya
remains low (33%-40%) with limited knowledge on the factors that affect its uptake.
Objective:To determine the uptake of IPT and its associated factors among HIV-positive
patients enrolled in a urban health centre.
Design: Hospital based cross-sectional study
Setting:Riruta Health Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
Subjects:HIV-positive patients ≥18 years who have been on care and treatment services
in the health centre for at least six months preceding the study.
Results: Four hundred and thirty six participants were enrolled with a mean age of
41 years (standard deviation± 9years). Females were 276 (63%), anti-retroviral therapy
uptake of 427 (98%) and overall IPT uptake rate of 336 (77%). On multivariate analysis,
fear of acquiring TB (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.6, 95% confidence interval, CI 2.6-8.1),
having received IPT-associated health education (AOR 5.0, 95% CI 3.0-8.4) and having
a good relationship with the healthcare worker (HCW) (AOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.4) were
independently associated with initiation of IPT.
Conclusion: The uptake rate was above the current national coverage but fell below
the national set target of 90%. Fear of acquiring TB, receipt of IPT-associated health
education and favourable relationship with the HCWs promoted the initiation of IPT.