Revista de SIDA e investigación clínica

Male Partner Involvement in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS at Primary Health Care Unit of Adama Districts, Central Ethiopia

Abstract

Mesfine Tafa Segni, Yosef Gudeta, Zawde Birhanu and Hirpo Teno

Background: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV) is extremely important as majority of children with HIV become infected through mother to child transmission. The involvement of male in PMTCT has vital importance in reducing HIV infections from mother to child.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the level of male partner involvement in PMTCT HIV/AIDS in Primary Health Care of Adama district East Shawa, Oromia.

Methods: Institutional based cross sectional study design was conducted among 752 pregnant women attending antenatal care. Respondents were consecutively approached until sample size required was achieved and the study involved both quantitative and qualitative study design. The data were analysed using SPSS for window version 21 and odds ratio was computed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions to assess association between dependent and independent variable.

Results: Only 61% of male partner accompany their wives to antenatal clinic or prevention of mother to child transmission services. The independent predictors of male partner involvement were age of husband (AOR=4.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 11.3), occupation of husband (AOR=0.05, 95% CI: 0.004,0.64), family income (AOR: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.01,0.10), HIV test result disclosure and suggestion (AOR=3.9, 95% CI=1.7,9.0), ever had partner visited antenatal care (AOR=10.3, 95% CI=4.5,23.5) and reminding partner (AOR=8.91, 95% CI=4.10,19.35, ).

Conclusions and recommendations: the level of male involvement was 61%. It is important to develop strategies of tracing mechanism in providing information for couples on PMTCT services in order to increase male involvement in ANC/PMTCT.