Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania.
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania.
PLoS One. 2024 Sep 27;19(9):e0311109. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311109. eCollection 2024.
Mothers attending prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV clinics seem to lack knowledge on many aspects of PMTCT, among which is breastfeeding. Breastfeeding recommendations in PMTCT have changed several times over the years leaving some confused and doubtful of what is currently recommended. One method shown to help improve their knowledge and acceptance of PMTCT recommendations is the use of peer educators. We sought to determine if mothers engage in discussions with other mothers during clinics and how these engagements influence trust in PMTCT recommendations.
We interviewed 524 mothers with children under two years enrolled in PMTCT clinics in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We selected 5 clinics with the highest numbers of PMTCT enrolment from each district in the region. In each clinic, over a one-month period, we recruited all mothers attending the PMTCT clinic. We collected information on their engagement in discussions regarding PMTCT during clinics and how they perceived the information from their peers in relation to that from healthcare providers.
Fifty-five percent of the mothers reported engaging in peer discussions. Of the 90 (17%) mothers who reported noticing a change in PMTCT recommendations, 33 (36.7%) reported trusting previous recommendations more. A greater proportion (52.9%) of mothers who engaged in peer discussions reported trusting the information from peers more than that from healthcare workers.
Peers have a great influence on mothers, which is concerning when their knowledge shared is outdated. Harnessing their influence and training them on current recommendations might be key to improving adherence to PMTCT recommendations.
参加预防母婴传播（PMTCT）艾滋病毒诊所的母亲似乎在 PMTCT 的许多方面都缺乏知识，其中包括母乳喂养。多年来，PMTCT 的母乳喂养建议几经变化，这让一些人感到困惑和怀疑目前推荐的内容。一种被证明有助于提高他们对 PMTCT 建议的知识和接受程度的方法是使用同伴教育者。我们试图确定母亲在诊所期间是否会与其他母亲进行讨论，以及这些讨论如何影响她们对 PMTCT 建议的信任。
我们采访了坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗地区 524 名两岁以下儿童参加 PMTCT 诊所的母亲。我们从该地区的每个区选择了 5 家 PMTCT 注册人数最多的诊所。在每个诊所，我们在一个月的时间内招募了所有参加 PMTCT 诊所的母亲。我们收集了她们在诊所期间就 PMTCT 进行讨论的情况以及她们如何看待来自同龄人的信息与来自医疗保健提供者的信息的信息。
55%的母亲报告说她们参与了同伴讨论。在 90 名（17%）报告注意到 PMTCT 建议发生变化的母亲中，33 名（36.7%）报告说她们更信任以前的建议。更多（52.9%）参与同伴讨论的母亲报告说，她们更信任同龄人的信息，而不是医疗保健工作者的信息。
同伴对母亲有很大的影响，而当他们分享的知识过时时，这令人担忧。利用他们的影响力并对他们进行有关当前建议的培训可能是提高 PMTCT 建议依从性的关键。
