Positive Attitudes Concerning Infant Feeding- a Questionnaire for Women Living With HIV
Condition: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
MeSH terms: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; HIV Infections; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The PACIFY Study is a questionnaire for antenatal(third trimester) and postnatal(three months
      post delivery) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive women attending clinics in London
      and Brighton. The current World Health Organisation guidance advises HIV positive women, who
      are adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART), to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6
      months of the infant's life and continue supplemental breastfeeding for up to 2 years.

      This is conflicts with the current British HIV Association guidelines which advise exclusive
      formula feeding. The reason for this difference is the relative safety of formula feeding in
      the United Kingdom(UK)against the low but persisting risk of HIV infection through
      breast-feeding. The aim of the PACIFY study is to explore attitudes towards breastfeeding
      amongst HIV positive women, who are either pregnant or post-partum. The study will also
      assess the understanding of current infant feeding guidance by these women and assess their
      current or recent infant feeding practice. It will also look at whether HIV positive mothers
      would be willing and able to comply with special monitoring and guidance whilst breastfeeding
      if the guidelines were to change. The study aims to analyse 100 questionnaires completed over
      a 3-6 month period.
    

Detailed description: 
      All eligible female patients (currently or recently pregnant) attending routine HIV-related
      appointments will be invited to participate and a participant information sheet will be
      given. Those who have consented to join the study will be given a short questionnaire to
      complete and return during that attendance. The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to
      complete. The option of returning the questionnaire by post will be available but not
      encouraged.

      During the collection period, women with HIV attending either antenatal (third trimester) or
      postnatal (within three months of delivery) care will be eligible to participate, but they
      will only be asked once, either before or after delivery.

      Ideally equivalent numbers of pre and postnatal participants will be enrolled. Participants
      given a questionnaire and have a centre and unique study number. Maternal cluster of
      differentiation 4 (CD4) count and HIV Viral load nearest to time of questionnaire completion
      will be recorded if patient consents.

      Participants will be able to place their completed paper questionnaires in a sealed envelope
      in a box in the clinic.Participants will be informed that their questionnaire responses will
      not be seen by clinical staff (unless participants request staff support in completion of the
      questionnaire) or recorded in their clinical notes. In the clinics the study log will be the
      only document linking study number with hospital identification (ID)number and soundex.
      Completed questionnaires will be stored securely in local sites prior to transfer to St
      Mary's Hospital (by the study team). The study log will be maintained securely along with the
      delegation log by the site lead investigator.
    

Intervention name(s): Questionnaire
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Patients will be asked to complete one off questionnaire.
Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        HIV positive women who are three months post partum and third trimester
      
Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus