Table 3.
Characteristics of qualitative studies included
| # | Author, year | Setting | Study design | Participants | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Awiti, 2011 | Kenya, Urban and rural | Narratives | HIV+ pregnant women on cART | 28; 16 rural and 12 urban |
| 2 | Burke, 2004 | Tanzania, Urban and rural | IDIs and FGDs | Health workers, pregnant women, HIV+ individuals, other men and women | 12 interviews; 5 FGDs |
| 3 | Chinkonde, 2009 | Malawi, Urban and rural | IDIs and FGDs | HIV+ women (sub-sample of cohort at PMTCT sites); husbands | 28 IDIs; 4 FGDs of 6–9 per group (28 total); 12 IDIs with men |
| 4 | Delva, 2006 | South Africa, Urban | IDIs | Key informants | 14 |
| 5 | Duff, 2010 | Uganda, Urban and rural | IDIs and FGD | HIV+ mothers (registered in PMTCT programme) | 45 interviews, 1 FGD (8 women) |
| 6 | Duff, 2012 | Uganda, Urban and rural | FGDs | Men (married/with female partners) | 40 participants in 4 groups |
| 7 | Kasenga, 2010 | Malawi, Rural | IDIs | HIV+ women (registered in PMTCT programme) | 24 |
| 8 | Levy, 2009 | Malawi, Urban | IDIs, FGDs, observations | HIV+ women (participating in PMTCT programme), key informants | IDIs: 34 women, 21 key informants; FGDs: 21 women (4–6 per group) |
| 9 | Nkonki, 2007 | South Africa, Urban and rural | IDIs | HIV+ women (sub-sample of cohort study on PMTCT) | 58 |
| 10 | O'Gorman, 2010 | Malawi, Rural | IDIs and FGDs | Ante/post-natal women, fathers, grandmothers, TBAs, health workers, community leaders | 44 in FGDs in total, 26 interviews |
| 11 | Painter, 2004 | Cote d'Ivoire, Urban | IDIs | HIV+ women (discontinued/refused PMTCT follow-up visits) | 27 |
| 12 | Sprague, 2011 | South Africa, Urban | IDIs (and patient file review) | HIV+ women, female carers of HIV+ children, key informants | 83 women, 32 carers, 38 key informants. |
| 13 | Stinson, 2012 | South Africa, Urban | IDIs (structured) | Pregnant/post-natal HIV+ women (on cART or eligible for cART) | 28 women; 21 health workers |
| 14 | Theilgaard, 2011 | Tanzania, Urban | IDIs, FGDs, and observations | HIV+ women; health care providers | FGDs: 12 women; 6 HWs. IDIs: 18 women |
| 15 | Towle, 2008 | Lesotho, Urban and rural | IDIs and participant observation | Health workers; HIV programme staff; women/men (reproductive age); grandmothers | 29 (total) |
| 16 | Winestone, 2012 | Kenya, Rural | IDIs | Health care providers | 36 |
#
Study number (sequential order; differs from bibliographic reference number); IDI=In-depth interview; FGD=Focus group discussion; NVP=nevirapine; TBA=traditional birth attendant; ANC=antenatal clinic; cART=combination antiretroviral therapy; PMTCT=Prevention of mother-to-child transmission.