Male Clients/Partners/Pimps

Abstract- Background: One in four children born with HIV infection globally, is born in Nigeria! Poor Ante-natal clinic (ANC) attendance has been implicated. Objective: To examine the significance of male involvement in ANC service utilization and ART adherence via the Partners’ Lounge Initiative (PLI). Methods: Male partners were treated to a Partner Lounge Intervention (PLI); a comfortable, well-furnished waiting area while the women accessed ANC/ART services.  Results: Pre-PLI, half of the respondents registered for antenatal care during their second trimester.  Only 16.7% never missed ANC/ART clinic appointments while 41.7% missed once, 41.7% of the males never accompanied their partners to clinic, 50% accompanied theirs only once.  At post-PLI, 53.3% enrolled for ANC during the second trimester, 60% and 66.7% never missed ANC and ART clinics respectively, none of the women came to clinic unaccompanied by their male partners; 26.7%, were accompanied once, 40%, twice and 33.3%, three or more times. Sero-discordance was identified in both groups; 25% of males at pre-PLI and 53.3% at post-PLI were unreactive. Pre- and post-PLI difference in missed ART appointments was significant (p= 0.017). Conclusion/Recommendations: PLI increased male involvement in their partners’ ANC/ART clinic visits. The role of sero-discordance in ART adherence may require further inquiry.
Keywords: Male Involvement, ANC, ART, PMTCT, Partners’ Lounge Initiative, sero-discordance 
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