Knowledge and perceptions of HIV/AIDS and mother to child transmission among antenatal mothers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi

Abstract

Objective: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS by pregnant mothers is very important in the prevention of mother to child transmission. This study evaluates the knowledge and perceptions of HIV/AIDS and mother to child transmission among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a University Teaching Hospital.

Methodology: Pre-tested questionnaires were interviewer administered to 312 pregnant women randomly selected at the antenatal clinic of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi.

Results: The level of awareness of HIV/AIDS among antenatal mothers was very high (99%) and the main sources of information were radio (44.7%), television (38.8%), and print media (34.0%). Though majority (94.2%) was aware HIV infection can coexist with pregnancy, only 76.9% were aware of mother to child transmission. Transplacental (46.1%), breastfeeding (31.7%), and vaginal delivery (16.3%) were the commonly identified routes of vertical transmission. Surprisingly, eighteen respondents (5.8%) indicated that caesarean section is a possible route of vertical transmission.

Conclusion: Though the percentage of HIV/AIDS knowledge is high, the level of knowledge and perceptions of mother to child transmission is inadequate. This suggests the need to scale up health education about mother to child transmission in our health facilities.

Keywords: knowledge, HIV/AIDS, mother to child transmission, antenatal mothers

Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol. 8(2) 2005: 97-101