Acceptability of measures aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV among pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the acceptability of measures aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV among counseled and yet-to-be-counseled antenatal women in a federal medical center in Nigeria.


METHODS
A valid and reliable questionnaire was interviewer administered to newly booking antenatal women who were yet to be counseled about HIV/AIDS and women on an antenatal follow-up visit who had already been counseled about HIV/AIDS.


RESULTS
A total of 108 newly booked women and 116 women on follow-up visit responded to the questionnaire. The proportion of the counseled women who accepted HIV screening (98%) was significantly higher than the proportion of the yet-to-be-counseled women who would want to be screened (88%). Also, the proportions of the counseled women who accepted HIV screening so as to benefit from interventions like prevention of mother-to-child transmission, antiretroviral therapy and prevention of transmission to partner were significantly higher than the proportions among the yet-to-be-counseled women. The majority of the women in the study would accept antiretroviral drugs and avoidance of breastfeeding to prevent mother-to-child transmission, while only 29 (14%) respondents would accept cesarean section to prevent mother-to-child transmission. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of the counseled women (15%) who would accept cesarean section to prevent mother to child transmission when compared to the proportion among the yet-to-be-counseled women (11%).


CONCLUSIONS
Antenatal HIV screening is acceptable to most pregnant women attending our hospital, and while many would accept antiretroviral drugs and avoidance of breastfeeding to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, there is low acceptability of elective cesarean section.
Abiodun
Moses O
MO
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Federal Medical Center, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. omoniyimoses2004@yahoo.co.uk
Ijaiya
Munir'deen A
MA
Aboyeji
Peter A
PA
Balogun
Olayinka R
OR
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008403:Mass Screening; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents