Table 1.
Summary of results by fathers and mothers concerning the acceptability of the PMTCT programme components
| PMTCT components | Fathers | Mothers |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptability of routine HIV testing in PMTCT programmes | - purely beneficial | - purely beneficial |
| - for the sake of the baby | - for the sake of the baby | |
| - 100% of those asked accepted testing of their wives | - 100% accepted testing | |
| Testing practice of male partners | - positive attitude | - advantageous |
| - few had tested | - difficult to ask partner to test | |
| - main barrier: asked by their wife to attend a female arena | - desirable if he could be invited by others | |
| Expectations and experiences related to disclosure of HIV status | - a responsibility to support | - fear of partner's reactions |
| - a few would treat her badly due to lack of trust | - responsibility to disclose | |
| - 95.9% had disclosed to partner | ||
| Partners' attitude to condom use | - associated with distrust | - important for prevention |
| - unacceptable within the marriage | - main barrier: partner's reluctance | |
| - needed to be his decision | - difficult to ask partner to use condoms | |
| Role of partner in safe infant feeding | - needed to be informed about wife's HIV status to accept uncustomary infant feeding | - necessary to disclose HIV status to partner to be able to follow infant feeding guidelines |
| How to include partners effectively in the programme | - other than the wife invite partner to test | - other than the wife invite partner to test |
| - offer partner testing in arenas other than the antenatal clinic | - offer partner testing in arenas other than the antenatal clinic |