Concerns and experiences of women participating in a short‐term AZT intervention feasibility study for prevention of HIV transmission from mother‐to‐child

Abstract

This paper describes the experiences and concerns of women participating in a short‐term AZT intervention feasibility study to prevent mother‐to‐child HIV transmission at three sites in India. The study used qualitative methods to examine the experiences of 31 women during late pregnancy, delivery and at post‐natal visits. It also elicited the perspectives of 19 healthcare providers. Frequent visits required during late‐pregnancy and the post‐natal period presented concerns for the women in the study. Women's understanding of the long‐term implications of participating in the intervention study was poor, and living with uncertainty about the HIV status of the newborn was a major concern. The provision of psychosocial support is essential in future intervention studies and should be incorporated on an ongoing basis. Networking with women‐centred support groups may be helpful in enabling women to gain the long‐term benefits of this type of intervention.

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS
• India
• mother‐to‐child transmission
• women's perspectives

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge with thanks the support of J. V. R. Prasada Rao, then Project Director of the National AIDS Control Organization for making this study possible. The assistance of principal investigators at the three centres in Maharashtra and the local team of physicians, counsellors, technicians and others are gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank M. E. Khan, from the Population Council in India for his critical comments on the paper. Finally, we would like to thank the women participating in the study; but for their frank discussions, the study would not have taken shape.