TITLE:
Influences of Mobile Phones-Based Short-Message-Services Communications on the HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors among Pregnant Women’s Male Partners, Case Control Study Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Daudi Manyanga, Harrieth Mtae, Isah Mohamed Bello, Raphael Sangeda
KEYWORDS:
HIV Infection Sexual Risk Behaviors, Male Partners of Pregnant Women, Short-Message-Services, PMTCT, Tabora, Tanzania
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.6,
June
17,
2020
ABSTRACT: Introduction: In the twenty-first century, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
continues to be among the major public health problem globally. The disease is
implicated to the result of the over 32 million deaths, and in 2018 the disease
caused over 770,000
deaths globally. The disease can be transmitted from an HIV-positive pregnant
woman to her child during pregnancy and childbirth about 15% - 20%, and 5% - 15% in
breastfeeding. Awareness of HIV infection sexual risk behaviors and practices
among male partners of pregnant mothers, therefore, plays a greater role in reducing
new infection to them and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of
HIV. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study involving randomly
selected 314 pregnant women’s male partners attending PMTCT services in the
Tabora Municipality for from September 2018 to August 2019. The enrolled study
participants were randomly allocated to cases and controls and, SMS
communication was sent twice weekly with 5 standard key messages from the PMTCT
community guide and followed up. Results: The awareness that HIV infected mothers can transmit HIV infection in
labor and during breastfeeding among their male partners was raised to 73.3%
and 61.8% from 55.4% and 47.5% to study and control groups respectively
following intervention. Similarly, men aged below 35 years from the study group
showed an 18.3% change and a 35.4% change for those who were over 35 years old
compared to the control. The difference was tested and found to be
statistically significant with a p-value
of 0.001 (relative risk of 0.11) and less than 0.001 (relative risk of 0.07) respectively
at a 95% confidence interval. This indicates that following SMS communication
intervention men from the study group were less likely to practice HIV
infection sexual risk behavior compared to the control group.