scholarly journals Reaching hard-to-reach men through home-based couple HIV testing among pregnant women and their male partners in Western Kenya: A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Krakowiak ◽  
Pamela Makabong’o ◽  
Marielle Goyette ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Alfred Onyango Osoti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Couple Testing ◽  
Couple Hiv Testing

Abstract Background Globally only 79% of HIV positive adults know their status and men in sub-Saharan Africa are considered a particularly hard-to-reach population for HIV testing. Home-based HIV couple testing during the antenatal period is a safe and effective method that has been used to test male partners of pregnant women. The goal of this qualitative study was to identify elements that made couple testing successful and describe important characteristics of this home-based intervention from couples’ perspectives. Methods Couples who received scheduled home-based couple testing during pregnancy in Kisumu, Kenya, were purposively sampled based on HIV status from January to May 2015. An interviewer administered all of the in-depth interviews and two coders were directly involved in the data analysis and reconciled codes several times in the process. Results Twenty-one couples were enrolled: 9 concordant HIV-negative couples, 8 HIV discordant couples, 3 HIV concordant HIV-positive couples, and 1 whose concordance status was unknown. Median age at the time of home-based couple testing was 24 and 28 years for women and men, respectively. Median relationship duration was 3 years and couples had a median of two pregnancies. The major themes that emerged were that home-based couple testing 1) removed the female burden of requesting couple testing, 2) overcame logistical barriers associated with clinic-based testing, 3) encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure, 4) provided privacy in the home, and 5) provided quality time with the health advisors. Importantly, some women appreciated individual testing at the clinic before couple testing and some couples preferred skilled, anonymous health advisors delivering the intervention rather than known community health workers. Conclusions The results of this qualitative study suggest that home-based couple testing during pregnancy overcame many of the barriers that limit men’s access to and uptake of clinic-based testing. It encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure through a setting that afforded privacy and quality time with skilled health advisors. These qualitative results may help design effective partner and couple HIV testing programs in the antenatal setting and alongside or within other assisted partner notification services.

scholarly journals Reaching hard-to-reach men through home-based couple HIV testing among pregnant women and their male partners in Western Kenya: A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Krakowiak ◽  
Pamela Makabong’o ◽  
Marielle Goyette ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Alfred Onyango Osoti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Couple Testing ◽  
Couple Hiv Testing

Abstract Background Globally only 79% of HIV positive adults know their status and men in sub-Saharan Africa are considered a particularly hard-to-reach population for HIV testing. Home-based HIV couple testing during the antenatal period is a safe and effective method that has been used to test male partners of pregnant women. The goal of this qualitative study was to identify elements that made couple testing successful and describe important characteristics of this home-based intervention from couples’ perspectives. Methods Couples who received scheduled home-based couple testing during pregnancy in Kisumu, Kenya, were purposively sampled based on HIV status from January to May 2015. An interviewer administered all of the in-depth interviews and two coders were directly involved in the data analysis and reconciled codes several times in the process. Results Twenty-one couples were enrolled: 9 concordant HIV-negative couples, 8 HIV discordant couples, 3 HIV concordant HIV-positive couples, and 1 whose concordance status was unknown. Median age at the time of home-based couple testing was 24 and 28 years for women and men, respectively. Median relationship duration was 3 years and couples had a median of two pregnancies. The major themes that emerged were that home-based couple testing 1) removed the female burden of requesting couple testing, 2) overcame logistical barriers associated with clinic-based testing, 3) encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure, 4) was preferred due to privacy in the home, and 5) provided quality time with the health advisors. Importantly, some women appreciated individual testing at the clinic before couple testing and some couples preferred skilled, anonymous health advisors delivering the intervention rather than known community health workers. Conclusions The results of this qualitative study suggest that home-based couple testing during pregnancy overcame many of the barriers that limit men’s access to and uptake of clinic-based testing. It encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure through a setting that afforded privacy and quality time with skilled health advisors. These qualitative results may help design effective partner and couple HIV testing programs in the antenatal setting and alongside or within other assisted partner notification services.

scholarly journals Reaching hard-to-reach men through home-based couple HIV testing among pregnant women and their male partners in Western Kenya: A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Krakowiak ◽  
Pamela Makabong’o ◽  
Marielle Goyette ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Alfred Onyango Osoti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Partner Notification ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Couple Testing ◽  
Couple Hiv Testing

Abstract Background Globally only 79% of adults living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) know their status and men in sub-Saharan Africa are considered a particularly hard-to-reach population for HIV testing. Home-based HIV couple testing during the antenatal period is a safe and effective method that has been used to test male partners of pregnant women. The goal of this qualitative study was to identify elements that made couple testing successful and describe important characteristics of this home-based intervention from couples’ perspectives. Methods Couples who received scheduled home-based couple testing during pregnancy in Kisumu, Kenya, were purposively sampled based on HIV status from January to May 2015. An interviewer administered all of the in-depth interviews and two coders were directly involved in the data analysis and reconciled codes several times in the process. Results Twenty-one couples were enrolled: 9 concordant HIV-negative couples, 8 HIV discordant couples, 3 HIV concordant HIV-positive couples, and 1 whose concordance status was unknown. Median age at the time of home-based couple testing was 24 and 28 years for women and men, respectively. Median relationship duration was 3 years and couples had a median of two pregnancies. The major themes that emerged were that home-based couple testing 1) removed the female burden of requesting couple testing, 2) overcame logistical barriers associated with clinic-based testing, 3) encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure, 4) provided privacy in the home, and 5) provided quality time with the health advisors. Importantly, some women appreciated individual testing at the clinic before couple testing and some couples preferred skilled, anonymous health advisors delivering the intervention rather than known community health workers. Conclusions The results of this qualitative study suggest that home-based couple testing during pregnancy overcame many of the barriers that limit men’s access to and uptake of clinic-based testing. It encouraged participants to overcome their fear of testing and disclosure through a setting that afforded privacy and quality time with skilled health advisors. These qualitative results may help design effective partner and couple HIV testing programs in the antenatal setting and alongside or within other assisted partner notification services. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov registry: NCT01784783. Registered prospectively on June 15, 2012.

scholarly journals Reaching hard-to-reach men through home-based couple HIV testing among pregnant women and their male partners in western Kenya: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Krakowiak ◽  
Pamela Makabong’o ◽  
Marielle Goyette ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Alfred Onyango Osoti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Couple Hiv Testing

scholarly journals Identifying barriers to ART initiation and adherence: An exploratory qualitative study on PMTCT in Zambia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262392
Author(s):  
Tukiya Kanguya ◽  
Aybüke Koyuncu ◽  
Anjali Sharma ◽  
Thankian Kusanathan ◽  
Martha Mubanga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Male Involvement ◽  
System Level ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Female Partners ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Maternal Love

Background Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) is widely available, HIV positive pregnant women in Zambia are less likely to start and remain on therapy throughout pregnancy and after delivery. This study sought to understand readiness to start ART among HIV pregnant women from the perspectives of both women and men in order to suggest more holistic programs to support women to continue life-long ART after delivery. Methods We conducted a qualitative study with HIV positive pregnant women before and after ART initiation, and men with female partners, to understand readiness to start lifelong ART. We conducted 28 in-depth interviews among women and 2 focus group discussions among male partners. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed in NVivo 12 using thematic analysis. Emerging themes from the data were organized using the social ecological framework. Results Men thought of their female partners as young and needing their supervision to initiate and stay on ART. Women agreed that disclosure and partner support were necessary preconditions to ART initiation and adherence and, expressed fear of divorce as a prominent barrier to disclosure. Maternal love and desire to look after one’s children instilled a sense of responsibility among women which motivated them to overcome individual, interpersonal and health system level barriers to initiation and adherence. Women preferred adherence strategies that were discrete, the effectiveness of which, depended on women’s intrinsic motivation. Conclusion The results support current policies in Zambia to encourage male engagement in ART care. To appeal to male partners, messaging on ART should be centered on emphasizing the importance of male involvement to ensure women remain engaged in ART care. Programs aimed at supporting postpartum ART adherence should design messages that appeal to both men’s role in couples’ joint decision-making and women’s maternal love as motivators for adherence.

scholarly journals Using routine programmatic data to measure HIV incidence among pregnant women in Botswana

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Frances Ortblad ◽  
Sheshth Mawandia ◽  
Odirile Bakae ◽  
Lenna Tau ◽  
Matias Grande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Real World ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Hiv Incidence ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Hiv Negative

Abstract Introduction: Pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa have high risk of HIV acquisition, yet approaches for measuring maternal HIV incidence using routine surveillance systems are undefined. We used programmatic data from routine antenatal care (ANC) HIV testing in Botswana to measure real-world HIV incidence during pregnancy. Methods: From January 2018 to September 2019, the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness implemented an HIV testing program at 139 ANC clinics. The program captured information on testers’ age, testing date and result, and antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation. In our analysis, we excluded individuals who previously tested HIV-positive prior to their first ANC visit. We defined incident HIV infection as testing HIV-positive at an ANC visit after a prior HIV-negative result within ANC. Results: Overall, 29,570 pregnant women (median age 26 years, IQR 22-31) tested for HIV at ANC clinics: 3% (836) tested HIV-positive at their first recorded ANC visit and 97% tested HIV-negative (28,734). Of those who tested HIV-negative, 28% (7,940/28,734) had a repeat HIV test recorded at ANC. The median time to HIV re-testing was 92 days (IQR 70-112). In total, 17 previously undiagnosed HIV infections were detected (HIV incidence 8 per 1,000 person-years, 95% CI 0.5-1.3). ART initiation among women newly diagnosed with HIV at ANC (853) was 88% (671/762). Conclusions: In Botswana, real-world HIV incidence among pregnant women at ANC remains above levels of HIV epidemic control (≤1 per 1,000 person-years). This study shows how HIV programmatic data can answer timely population-level epidemiological questions and inform ongoing implementation of HIV prevention and treatment programs.

scholarly journals Targeted HIV testing for male partners of HIV-positive pregnant women in a high prevalence setting in Nigeria

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. e0211022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semiu Olatunde Gbadamosi ◽  
Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi ◽  
William Nii Ayitey Menson ◽  
John Olajide Olawepo ◽  
Tamara Bruno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
High Prevalence

scholarly journals Identifying Barriers to Disclosure to Overcome Barriers to ART Initiation: An explanatory qualitative study on PMTCT in Zambia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tukiya Kanguya ◽  
Aybüke Koyuncu ◽  
Anjali Sharma ◽  
Thankian Kusanathan ◽  
Martha Mubanga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Male Involvement ◽  
System Level ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Female Partners ◽  
Art Initiation ◽  
Maternal Love

AbstractBackgroundThough antiretroviral therapy (ART) is widely available, HIV positive pregnant women in Zambia are less likely to start and remain on therapy throughout pregnancy and after delivery. This study sought to understand readiness to start ART among HIV pregnant women from the perspectives of both women and men in order to suggest more holistic programs to support women to continue life-long ART after delivery.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study with HIV positive pregnant women before and after ART initiation, and men with female partners, to understand readiness to start lifelong ART. We conducted a total of 28 in-depth interviews among women and 2 focus group discussions among male partners. Data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed in NVivo 12 using thematic analysis. Emerging themes from the data were organized using the social ecological framework.ResultsMen thought of their female partners as young and needing their supervision to initiate and stay on ART. Women agreed that disclosure and partner support were necessary preconditions to ART initiation and adherence and expressed fear of divorce as a prominent barrier to disclosure. Maternal love and desire to look after one’s children instilled a sense of responsibility among women which motivated them to overcome individual, interpersonal and health system level barriers to initiation and adherence. Women preferred adherence strategies that were discrete, the effectiveness of which, depended on women’s intrinsic motivation.ConclusionThe results support current policies in Zambia to encourage male engagement in ART care. To appeal to male partners, messaging on ART should be centered on emphasizing the importance of male involvement to ensure women remain engaged in ART care. Programs aimed at supporting postpartum ART adherence should design messages that appeal to both men’s role in couples’ joint decision-making and women’s maternal love as motivators for adherence.

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