Willingness to accept HIV testing among caretakers with a child attending the university teaching hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

Objective: To determine the willingness to accept HIV testing among caretakers who bring a child to the University Teaching Hospital Paediatric department.
Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted over a period of two months from September 2009 to October 2009 in the Paediatrics Department admission ward of the University Teaching Hospital.
Main outcomes: The number of caregivers willing to accept HIV testing.
Measures: The variables measured in the study included dependent and independent variables
Results: All the 241 caretakers approached to participate agreed to take part in the study though only 239 were considered valid during the analysis. 165/ 239 (69%) were willing to accept an HIV test for themselves. 239/239 (99%) caretakers were willing to have routine HIV testing and counselling as part of the hospital services. 234/239 (98%) of caretakers were willing to have siblings of the child tested. The main fear for not going for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) or accepting an HIV test was death. 226 of the caretakers interviewed were female and only 15 were male.233 out of 239 had been tested 157 were prompted to have an HIV test for ANC/MCH reasons compared to 46 who voluntarily went for VCT.
Conclusion: There is a general willingness to accepting HIV testing among caretakers of children attending the University Teaching Hospital Paediatric department, the majority need to be prompted to actually take the test and therefore RTC should be implemented in all health facilities