Factor structure of a male involvement index to increase the effectiveness of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs: revised male involvement index

ABSTRACT

Male involvement in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) during pregnancy is encouraged, but the accuracy of its measurement has not been established. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to establish the factor structure of an index of male involvement in PMTCT. Using a structured questionnaire, 1369 HIV positive pregnant women and 522 male partners were recruited in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded two components accounting for 49.9% of the variance. The first factor, named Communication-Based Male Involvement and addressing partner discussions about prenatal, HIV, birth and postnatal issue, accounted for 39.8% of the variance. The second, named Action-Based Male Involvement and addressed partner awareness and actions, and information provided during antenatal visits, financial support, and attendance to visits, accounted for 10.1% of the variance. Given the low rates of male involvement participation in antenatal care, interventions are needed to increase male involvement. However, a method of quantifying male partner participation was needed to assess the effectiveness of such interventions. We hope that the Revised Male Involvement Index will stimulate further research in this area, thus increasing the effectiveness of PMTCT programs aimed at increasing male partner involvement.

KEYWORDS:

• Male involvement
• PMTCT
• factor structure
• primary health care
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD078187), with the support of the Miami Center for AIDS Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (P30AI073961). VJR’s work on this study was partially supported by a Ford Foundation Fellowship, administered by the National Academies of Science.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: [Grant Number P30AI073961]; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: [Grant Number R01HD078187].