Factors influencing male’s involvement in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services in Kibaale District, Uganda

Magister Public Health - MPHGlobally, approximately 600,000 infants each year are born with HIV infection in Sub-Saharan Africa as a result of mother to child transmission (MTCT) (UNAIDS, 2001). Whereas there is significant progress in reduction of mother to child transmission of HIV in Uganda, the Western Region of Uganda has low rates of PMTCT service utilization. The progress has been hampered by many factors including low male involvement (MOH, 2005). The main objective of this study was therefore to identify some of the factors that discourage men from participating in PMCT services in this region. The study was conducted in Kibaale District in the Western Region of Uganda for a period of one month in mid 2009. Data was collected using a qualitative methodology. The tools that were used for data collection were key informant in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) guides. Data was collected from PMTCT service providers, women of reproductive age group and men whose partners had given birth during the last year (2008). For the focus groups, a purposive sample of men and women who had some children born in 2008, followed by random sampling from the list of potential subjects was used to select participants. The study sample comprised of three FGDs of women who had given birth in year 2008 and male partners of women who had also given birth in 2008. Each FGD consisted of eight participants. One FGD was with women only, the other with men only, while the third was with both men and women