Lamarque, Kathryn Julia (2013-03)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Madagascar is a country where HIV prevalence is low but changing conditions make it susceptible to a rapid increase in infections. Quantitative data from health care workers and pregnant women attending Basic Health Care Centres or Centres Santẽ de Bases (from here on referred to as CSBs) will shed light on factors that influence the women’s uptake of HIV testing.
The researcher set out to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices with respect to HIV/AIDS, of pregnant women attending four CSB sites in south east Madagascar. The Health care services at these same CSB sites were also evaluated.
Results showed that there were a number of factors that could be attributed to pregnant Malagasy women opting not to test for HIV. The reduced profile of the disease by the CSBs, inadequate knowledge of the disease, particularly among the rural women, lack of treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) at the sites under study, and the perception that they are not at risk of HIV infection, were some of the factors identified.
Certain conditions need to be in place in order for voluntary testing of HIV to be accepted by pregnant women in Madagascar. It is an area of great sensitivity and the women in the study indicated that the welfare of their unborn baby was of paramount importance and the opinion of their families, partners and the community to their testing for HIV, was crucial in their decision.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Madagaskar is ‘n land met ‘n laӗ MIV voorkoms, maar veranderende omstandighede maak dit vatbaar vir ‘n eskalasie in infeksies. Kwantitatiewe data van gesondheids werkers en swanger vroue vat die Basic Health Care Centres of Centre Santẽ de Bases (van hier af verwys na CSBs) besoek, sal lig werp op faktore wat die vrouens se begrip van MIV toetsing beinvloed.
Die navorser het begin om die kennis, houding en praktyke van swanger vroue wat die vier CSB terreine in suidoos Madagaskar besoek het, met betrekking tot MIV/VIGS te bepaal. Die gesondheids sorg dienste by diselfde CSB is ook geevalueer.
Resultate toon aan dat ‘n hele aantal faktore kan by dra tot Malagasiese vroue se keuse om nie vir MIV getoets te word nie. Die lae profile van die siekte by die CBS, on voldoende kennis van die siekte, veral onder die plattelandse vroue, afwesigheid van behandeling vir persone wat met MIV/VIGS lewe by the terreine wat bestudeer is, en die persepsie dat hulle nie vatbaar is vir MIV infeksie nie, was van die faktore wat geidentifeer is.
Om vrywillige MIV toetsing aanvaarbaar vir swanger vroue in Madagaskar te maak, moet sekere kondisies na gekom word. Dit is ‘n baie sensitiewe area en die vrouens wat deel vorm van die studie het aangedui dat die welstand van hul ongebore baba van uiters belang is en die opinie van families, lewensmaats en die gemeenskap ten opsigte van MIV toetsing van kardinale belang is in hierdie besluit.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/79898