Date of Conferral
5-14-2024
Date of Award
May 2024
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Health
Advisor
. Magdeline Aagard
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected access to prenatal and postnatal care services for pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) in counties in the Central, Eastern, and Rift Valley regions of Kenya. Many PWLHIV in some counties in Kenya faced challenges in accessing treatment services. In urban counties such as those in the Central region, HIV preventive care services were accessed with minimal disruption. Counties in the semi-arid of Eastern and Central regions experienced some disruptions in the provision of HIV preventive care services for PWLHIV. The periods under consideration were before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021). This quantitative study endeavored to answer three research questions that examined the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected access to prenatal and postnatal services for PWLHIV in counties in these regions, how a reduction in access to these services affected the maternal-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, and whether there were variations in provision of HIV preventive care services between counties in these regions. Archival data were used. Participants included PWLHIV and excluded non PWLHIV in counties in the three regions. Results of chi-square test showed a difference in access to care services before (85.325%) and during (69.146%) the COVID-19 pandemic, p = 0.000, in the three areas of Kenya. There was also an increase in MTCT of HIV. Implications for positive social change include identifying access issues for PWLHIV which may increase awareness and improve care service.
Recommended Citation
Vesonder, Modesta, "HIV Preventive Care Services for Pregnant Women in Kenya Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15795.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15795
