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Objective: To assess the state of the retention in care of HIV patients in three health settings in Morrumbene, a rural district of Inhambane Province, Mozambique. We evaluated potential factors associated with early loss to follow‐up (LTFU), retention in care and ART adherence during the first year of follow‐up. Material and methods: Retrospective, cross‐sectional, observational study. We collected data on patients diagnosed with HIV infection in 2017 in two permanent clinics and one mobile clinic. Demographic, clinical, immunological and therapeutic data were retrieved up to December 31st, 2018. Data on follow‐up were collected at 6 and 12 months for medical visits and for ART adherence and analysed for factors associated with LTFU, retention in care and adherence to ART by Stata Version 14 and univariate and stepwise multiple unconditional logistic regression models. Results: In 2017, 960 patients were diagnosed with HIV infection. At 6‐month follow‐up, 49% attended the medical visit and 157 (25%) adhered to ART. After one year, 34% of patients were available for follow‐up, and only 72 patients adhered to ART. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with early LTFU were male sex (p = 0.036) and immediate prescription of ART (p = 0.064). Older age (p < 0.001) and being followed in the mobile clinic (p = 0.001) favoured retention in care. Advanced WHO status (p = 0.005) and being pregnant or breastfeeding showed a negative correlation with adherence to treatment (p = 0.068). Conclusions: Only one‐third of patients were available for follow‐up after one year, and only 13% adhered to ART. Young individuals, men and pregnant/breastfeeding women seem to be particularly at risk for LTFU and non‐adherence to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]