Knowledge, barriers and attitudes towards prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ghana

While awareness of HIV and AIDS is almost universal in Ghana, the same cannot be said of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the disease. This paper assessed the level of knowledge, barriers and attitudes towards PMTCT of HIV/AIDS. Data were gathered through 22 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 29 In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) with People Living with HIV and AIDS, pregnant women and their partners. Research participants were sampled from twelve cities/towns purposively selected from the three ecological zones in Ghana. The inclusion criteria were border towns, commercial/mining towns/cities and towns/cities with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. It was found that people have high knowledge about MTCT but fair knowledge about PMTCT. For pregnant women, the most prominent deterring factor is the fear of being diagnosed HIV positive. Creating widespread community awareness of the full set of behaviours necessary to prevent MTCT is an essential step to improve participation in and adherence to interventions that are part of PMTCT programmes.