{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T06:01:07Z","timestamp":1781157667931,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781136000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Discontinuation of ARV is a worldwide problem, with a discontinuation rate of 20% globally and 40\u201350% in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Lesotho, it ranges from 20 to 30% in men. To effectively tackle the HIV\/AIDS epidemic in Lesotho, it is necessary to address the several complex problems that hinder adherence to ARVs among men.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study used a qualitative descriptive case study approach to collect data from men aged 18\u202fyears and above receiving health services at the Seventh-day Adventist clinic, using a homogeneous purposive sampling method. In-depth interviews were used to collect audio-recorded data after obtaining informed consent and 10 men who were on ART were interviewed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Of the 10 clients, all had discontinued their ARVS in the past year (2023). Overall, participants identified four factors that influence most men to default on their ARVs: individual, socio-economic, culturally related, and health systems factors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participant\u2019s difficulties, such as socio-economic obstacles (e.g., transportation costs and unstable employment), cultural influences based on religious and Christian norms that discourage clinic attendance, and deficiencies in the health system (e.g., lengthy wait times and rigid services) were identified by participants as interrelated factors driving men\u2019s discontinuation of ART treatment. These results necessitate that health systems take immediate, comprehensive actions, such as prioritising male-specific ART delivery modalities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1796236","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T05:46:38Z","timestamp":1781156798000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Factors influencing men to discontinue antiretroviral at Seventh Day Adventist clinic, Maseru, Lesotho"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Thabelang","family":"Rabaholo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal","place":["Durban, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Moganavelli","family":"Reddy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal","place":["Durban, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.2147\/HIV.S32321","article-title":"Quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS and antiretroviral therapy","volume":"4","author":"Oguntibeju","year":"2012","journal-title":"HIV AIDS (Auckl)"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.1097\/QAD.0b013e32834ed814","article-title":"Mortality and loss to follow-up in the first year of ART: Malawi national ART programme","volume":"26","author":"Weigel","year":"2012","journal-title":"AIDS"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Crisis and the Power to Transform UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2025","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0266438","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0266438","article-title":"Predictors of loss to follow-up from HIV antiretroviral therapy in Namibia","volume":"17","author":"Hong","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.4102\/sajhivmed.v26i1.1631","article-title":"Young men's barriers to and facilitators of utilising HIV-testing services in South Africa","volume":"26","author":"Ndlovu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Southern Afr J HIV Med"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"775","DOI":"10.1089\/apc.2009.0041","article-title":"Gender disparities in HIV health care utilisation among the severely disadvantaged: can we determine the reasons?","volume":"23","author":"Sohler","year":"2009","journal-title":"AIDS Patient Care STDs"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101535","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lanwpc.2025.101535","article-title":"Progress towards the UNAIDS 2030 HIV prevention target in New South Wales, Australia: a population-based study","volume":"57","author":"Keen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Reg Health West Pac"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.11604\/pamj.2023.46.74.40122","article-title":"Antiretroviral therapy programme outcomes at Senkatana antiretroviral therapy clinic, Lesotho: a four-year retrospective cohort study","volume":"46","author":"Kabuya","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pan Afr Med J"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"48","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-3156.2010.02514.x","article-title":"Why are antiretroviral treatment patients lost to follow-up? 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