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Influence of peer discussions on trust in recommendations for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV

Philemon, Rune Nathaniel ; Mboya, Innocent B. LU orcid ; Mmbaga, Blandina T. ; Bartlett, John and Msuya, Sia E. (2024) In PLoS ONE 19(9 September).
Abstract

Background 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. Methods We interviewed 524 mothers with children under two years enrolled in PMTCT clinics in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We selected 5 clinics with... (More)

Background 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. Methods 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. Results 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. Conclusions 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.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
19
issue
9 September
article number
e0311109
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85205275544
  • pmid:39331616
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0311109
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e2adc39c-97e3-4913-8aa4-2dd424ba13b2
date added to LUP
2024-12-18 13:58:33
date last changed
2025-07-17 07:05:49
@article{e2adc39c-97e3-4913-8aa4-2dd424ba13b2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background 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. Methods 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. Results 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. Conclusions 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.</p>}},
  author       = {{Philemon, Rune Nathaniel and Mboya, Innocent B. and Mmbaga, Blandina T. and Bartlett, John and Msuya, Sia E.}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9 September}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Influence of peer discussions on trust in recommendations for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0311109}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0311109}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}