Women's perceived barriers to spousal involvement in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programs in western Kenya

Background: Male spousal involvement in HIV-related Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (pMTCT) programs is essential to supporting family health and adherence to HIV treatment and prevention regimens. This study examined reasons for men's involvement in the pMTCT programs of a comprehensive HIV-related prevention and treatment program in a rural area of western Kenya.

Methods: Data were collected from 71 women during eight focus groups conducted with women who were enrolled in a pMTCT program at one of four HIV-related clinics in geographically diverse areas of western Kenya. Focus group discussions focused on women's perceptions of the factors that facilitated and challenged their ability to engage their male spouses in the interventions associated with the pMTCT programs. Data were analyzed using standard techniques for qualitative data analysis.

Results: Seven themes emerged from the analysis that women perceived as important factors related to engaging their spouses, including: work-related challenges, the role of spousal and familial relationships, outcomes related to child and parent well-being, HIV-related stigma, cultural and gender norms, HIV-related educational needs, and structural issues related to the clinics and program strategies.

Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insights into the need for attending to the unique issues that women face when attempting to engage the family unit in pMTCT programs. These findings also offer valuable guidance to the development of recruitment and retention strategies that will help women engage their male spouses into pMTCT programs in a manner that is responsive to the unique cultural and gender norms in Kenyan society.