Abstract:
Background: Providing lifelong treatment to pregnant and breastfeeding women (also
known as Option B+) is an approach in which all pregnant women are tested for HIV
and those who test positive are initiated on ART as soon as possible and for life. The
purpose of this study is to monitor option B+ PMTCT adherence, investigate specific
barriers to non-adherence, and identify facilitators of adherence during pregnancy to
ensure the long-term efficacy of the program in order to enhance maternal health and
prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Objectives: To assess the level of adherence to option B+ prevention of mother-to child transmission and associated factors among HIV-positive pregnant women in a
public health facility in North Showa, Amhara, Ethiopia, in 2023.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from May
1 to May 30, 2023 GC in North Showa public health institutions. A total of 231 study
participants were selected by using simple random sampling techniques after
proportional allocation for each health institution. Both descriptive and inferential
statistics were used to present the data. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression
was used to identify factors associated with adherence to Option B+ PMTCT. In the bi variable analysis, variables with p-values <0.2 were considered candidates for a
multivariable analysis, and statistical significance was declared at a p-value <0.05.
Results: In this study, 191 (86.04%) of the study participants had good adherence to
PMTCT option B+. HIV+ pregnant women who received any support were 4.3 times
more likely to adhere to option B+ compared to those who did not receive any support
(AOR 4.302; 95% CI: (1.437, 12.877)). Similarly, women who disclosed their HIV
status to others had 4 times better adherence than those who did not expose their status
to their friends (AOR 3.893, 95% CI (1.520, 9.968)), while women who did not
experience fear of stigma and discrimination were 2.8 times more likely to adhere than
the counters (AOR 2.815, 95% CI (1.110, 7.134).
Conclusion and recommendation: In this study, the level of adherence towards option
B+ PMTCT in the study area was good compared to some other findings. But it is
suboptimal compared to the standard level. Providing support and encouraging a
woman to disclose their HV status to partners and families is very important to
increasing the adherence level of option B+.
Key words: Adherence, Option B+, HIV, ART, pregnant women
