Impact of adherence counselling with hatha yoga on HIV-infected adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Currently, global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic enters its' fourth decade. Notable challenge is faced owing to increasing proportion of HIV-infected adolescents and ultimate commitment to life-saving drug therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effec-tiveness of adherence counselling with hatha yoga in the treatment of HIV-infected adolescents and offering help in improving quality and increasing the span of the patents life. Material and methods: Randomized controlled trial design was adopted. Through simple random technique, a total of 388 HIV-infected adolescents was divided into experimental (n = 195) and con-trol groups (n = 193). Data were collected from HIV-infected adolescents/caregivers from four main antiretroviral therapy (ART) centers in Chennai through modified adherence assessment question-naire. Adherence counselling and yoga practice sessions were given for experimental group alone, and asanas were demonstrated by the researcher. Data were collected from both groups at 0, 3, and 6 months intervals. Results: In both groups, mean ART adherence scores in pre-and post-tests were 85.36 and 85.60, respectively. Mean difference in ART gain score with 95% CI was 13.4% in experimental and 4.9% in control group. Regarding CD4+ count, baseline mean score was 664.86 in experimental and 669.72 in control group, whereas in 6th month assessment, it rose to 840.30 and 703.35, respectively. Conclusions: Motivational counseling, along with yoga, shown effective in increasing ART adher-ence and CD4+ count among HIV-infected adolescents in experimental group compared with control group. Findings of this study proved that adherence counselling and yoga practice contributed signifi-cantly to the overall health and well-being of HIV-infected adolescents.