The role of maternal, psychosocial and social-cultural factors in HIV-exposed infants’ service uptake; Nakuru County Referral Hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Objective: To assess relationship between maternal determinants, psychosocial, social-cultural factors and uptake of routine HEI services among HIV- Exposed Infants in Nakuru County Referral Hospital, Kenya.

Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Setting: Nakuru County Referral Hospital, Kenya.

Subjects: Three hundred and twenty-nine (329) mother/baby pairs were enrolled in to the study.

Result: The study showed significant statistical association between maternal factors and immunization services uptake timeliness (X² =7.67, df=1, P=0.001). Psycho-social factors had significant association with timeliness in immunization (X² =8.87, df= 1, P=0.03) while timeliness in uptake of Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) was (X² =28.9, df=1, P=˂0.001). Further findings on the respondents who had disclosed their HIV status to their male partners showed significant statistical association (X² =6.88, P=0.009).

Conclusion: Maternal characteristics, psychosocial and social-cultural factors influenced service uptake and recommended for promotion of PMTCT psychosocial support groups among all HIV positive women and inclusion of mentor mothers as champions in demand creation, campaigns and interpersonal communication to improve the timely uptake of early infant diagnosis (EID) and immunization services.