The Influence of Prevention of Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission Campaigns on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Nigerian Women

Abstract

The transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding is called Mother-to-Child Transmission (MCT). This is one avenue that has fundamentally aided the infection of children with the dreaded HIV disease. This menace of mother-to-child transmission has been very devastating. Many children have been infected which has resulted to their early deaths. According to a progressive report in 2012 by UNAIDS, an estimate of 3.4 million children younger than 15 years were living with HIV globally in 2011, 91% of them in Sub-Saharan Africa (where Nigeria is situated), while an estimated 230 thousand children died from AIDS-related illness in the same year. It was also reported that mother-to-child transmission accounts for more than 90% pediatric AIDS. To effectively combat the MCT malaise, the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) was introduced. This introduction heralded countless number of PMTCT campaigns globally, including Nigeria. Therefore, the critical question that necessitated this study is, what is the influence of the PMTCT campaigns on the knowledge, attitudes and practice among Nigerian women? Using Survey Research Method and Multi-Stage Sampling Technique, women in 6 selected states from the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria (1 state from each of the zones) were studied. In the end, findings revealed amongst others that though the knowledge level, attitudes and practice of PMTCT among Nigerian women is abysmally low. Based on the findings, it was recommended, amongst others, that organizations, agencies and other bodies involved in packaging PMTCT campaigns should design and disseminate adequate, specific clear and very convincing messages to the women. This will help improve their knowledge on the PMTCT programme which will consequently secure the right attitude in them and herald an improved level of practice. When this is achieved, mother-to-child transmission would have been drastically reduced.

Keywords: Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV •Campaign •Knowledge •Attitude •Practice