| dc.description.abstract | Background: Low and middle income countries have almost all infants HIV infection and more than (90%) are the result of mother-to-child transmission occur during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or via breast feeding. In cases of no interventions, there is a (20 – 45%) chance that a baby born to an HIV positive mother will become infected (WHO, 2014).
Globally, elimination of mother-to-child transmission of the infection is a critical intervention in the fight against the pandemic (UNICEF, 2013). The uptake of the service by their partners is determined by the male involvement in the service. In Uganda, however, male involvement in the services often remains a major challenge defined by low male involvement.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 296 men in Masafu General Hospital in Busia district. Simple random sampling was used in the selection of the sample population and data was collected using a researcher administered questionnaire and analyzed using a computer software SPSS version 16.0. The results of the study showed a low level of male involvement in the services at (11%) of the sample population. The ways in which men were involved in the services included going for voluntary counseling and testing, supported their wives to go for treatment during pregnancy, using condoms, attending antenatal care
with their wives and encouraging wives to go and deliver from a health facility. The socio- economic factors that indicated a statistically significant association (p<0.05) with male involvement in the services were of age (X2=9.932; p=0.019), level of education (X2=13.640; p=0.001), level of income (X2=7.285; p=0.000) and the existence of cultural beliefs that hinder male involvement in the services (X2=8.010; p=0.000). The facility factors that were found to have a statistically significant association (p<0.05) with male involvement in the
services were average cost of services (X2=12.390; p=0.004) and average waiting time at the health facility (X2=15.147; p=0.000).
Conclusion: Therefore, the level of male involvement was low and the government with health workers should sensitize the community particularly the men on the importance of male involvement in the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV especially in the reduction of the HIV prevalence and mortality rates. | en_US |
