The Effects of Antenatal Health Education on Postnatal Care of HIV-positive Women

Abstract

This study was carried out in Botswana. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of antenatal health education on postnatal care among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive women in the city of Francistown, Botswana. The study followed a quantitative research paradigm. Data were collected using a questionnaire from 100 eligible women who consented in writing to participate in the study. A quantitative design and a descriptive cohort quantitative design were used. The researcher collected data from two of the busiest clinics in Francistown that have a workload of 100-150 patients a day. Any HIV-positive woman within the child-bearing age group (15-49 years) who visited the clinic 6-8 weeks postnatal was eligible. Forty-five per cent (n = 45) of women living with HIV who visited the clinic with babies for the 6-weeks postnatal care and 55 per cent (n = 55) brought 8-week old babies either for weighing or for immunisation. The majority (40%) of the women received health education from lay counsellors, 31 per cent from midwives, 15 per cent from doctors and 14 per cent from other sources. Qualified healthcare workers beyond lay counsellors should probably be providing antenatal health education given the expertise that is required to cope with the dynamic changes in healthcare delivery for HIV-positive women. Further studies in African settings are essential to identify the magnitude of utilising health workers that are inappropriately prepared for rendering certain healthcare services.