Conversations with mothers: exploring reasons for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) failures in the era of programmatic scale-up in Soweto, South Africa.

Reasons for incident cases of vertical HIV transmission in the era of free access to PMTCT in South Africa were investigated. This mixed-methods study was conducted in Soweto, South Africa from June-August, 2009. Birthmothers of HIV-infected infants born after 1 December 2008 were eligible. All participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Women also participated in a focus group (n = 10) or individual structured interview (n = 35). Mean age of participants (n = 45) was 28.7 years (SD = 5.4). Major findings are: (i) failure of per-guideline prescription of ARV strategies for infants (31%) and/or mothers (57%); (ii) maternal refusal of treatment (n = 5); (iii) preterm delivery (31%); (iv) delayed ANC attendance because of facility-related barriers and maternal apprehension around HIV testing; (v) fear of stigma; (vi) maternal difficulty with administering infant AZT (n = 9) and (vii) maternal confusion about infant feeding. A variety of individual, social, and structural factors must be addressed to optimize PMTCT service delivery in South Africa.

Adolescent experiences of HIV and sexual health communication with parents and caregivers in Soweto, South Africa.

Communication about sexual health between parents and adolescents has been shown to have a protective influence on behaviours that reduce the risk of HIV transmission. This study explored experiences of HIV and sexual health (HSH) communication between parents and/or caregivers and adolescents in an urban HIV-endemic community in Southern Africa. Adolescents (aged 14-19 years) were recruited from the Kganya Motsha Adolescent Centre and the Kliptown community between June and August 2009. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions (n=10 adolescents) and semi-structured interviews (n=31 adolescents). In total, 41 adolescents (56% female, 44% male, mean age=17.2) participated in the study. Adolescent participants identified emotional, physical and sociocultural barriers to initiating HSH communication with parents and caregivers including fear of verbal warnings, threats and physical assault. Adolescents also expressed a desire for mentorship around HSH communication beyond abstinence and peer-based information. Public health interventions need to support adolescents' access to bi-directional HSH information from adult mentors that address the lived realities of adolescents beyond expectations of abstinence.