Use of PMTCT services among HIV positive women attending ANC at Kisenyi and Naguru Health Centres, Kampala-Uganda

Abstract

Vertical transmission is the chief cause of pediatric HIV accounting for 90 percent of the infection in children. This study assesses the factors that have led to low utilization levels of PMTCT services by the urban poor population in Kampala – Uganda using the Andersen and Newman (1995) model of health services utilization. A total of 189 HIV positive mothers and 4 key informants were interviewed from both health centres, it was found out that most mothers attending the services were young mothers with 76 percent aged between 20 & 30 years. More than 50 percent of mothers had attended primary education as the highest level of education. Most of the mothers interviewed, 52 percent had not revealed to their partners their attendance of PMTCT services mainly due to the fear of the partners’ reaction and consequently chasing them away from home. Access to the health centre and the level of need, evaluated or perceived, were found to have no significant association with the level of utilization of PMTCT services by the mothers. The level of education of mothers, their partners and availability of good counseling services at health centres revealed a significant relationship with the level of utilization of PMTCT services. Expecting mothers whose partners had attained secondary level of education or more utilized PMTCT services at a rate that was 2.27 times more compared to the rate of mothers whose partners had no education at all holding other factors constant. It is recommended that sensitizations should be comprehensive to include male partners to know their role in ensuring that the mothers regularly attend PMTCT services so as to give birth to HIV negative babies.