Knowledge and Attitude towards Option B+ Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission among HIV/AIDS Positive Pregnant and Breast Feeding Mothers in Ethiopia

Knowledge and attitude of pregnant and breast feeding mothers to option B+ prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is vital for effective and efficient utilization of the service. The objectives of this institution based cross sectional study was to assess knowledge and attitude as well as factors associated with option B+ PMTCT of HIV among pregnant and breast feeding mothers in government health facilities in north east Ethiopia. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit one hundred and ninety HIV/AIDS positive pregnant and lactating mothers for the study. Data was collected using standard structured data collection instruments, entered into EpiData 3.1, and exported to statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the objective. About 110 (58%) and 76.3% of mothers were knowledgeable and had positive attitude respectively. Far distance to reach health facility (AOR 0.18, 95% CI (0.04-0.75) and thought of stopping option B+ treatment (AOR 0.08, 95%CI (0.01-0.9) were statistically significant factors affecting knowledge while having previous PMTCT experience (AOR 0.26, 95%CI (0.08-0.88) was statistically significant associated with attitude. The knowledge and attitude of HIV/AIDS positive pregnant and lactating mothers towards option B+ PMTCT was low. Therefore, efforts should be made to facilitate the transportation of women who live in distant areas from health facilities; comprehensive counselling should be given to pregnant and lactating women who had previous PMTCT experience by zonal health officers and health workers for good knowledge and attitude in option B+ PMTCT care and support.