Exclusive Breastfeeding Promotion among HIV+ mothers: A theory-based approach

描述（由申请人提供）：2010年，由于母婴传播，全世界约有37万名儿童新感染艾滋病毒。其中90%以上的感染发生在南非。艾滋病毒是南非孕产妇死亡的主要原因，占5岁以下儿童死亡人数的50%以上。纯母乳喂养（EBF）已被确定为减少母婴传播艾滋病毒和改善婴儿健康的关键干预措施。尽管艾滋病毒阳性母亲的母乳喂养有母婴传播艾滋病毒的风险，但通过EBF和适当的抗逆转录病毒治疗，这一风险从42%降至2%。EBF与较低MTCT相关的机制尚不完全清楚，但据信可以维持胃肠道屏障，这被认为是感染的主要部位。与其他喂养方法相比，EBF在保护婴儿免受艾滋病毒母婴传播和提供最佳营养，同时保护他们免受腹泻和呼吸道疾病方面的多重益处是显著的。鉴于大量证据表明这些益处，世界卫生组织于2010年更新了其婴儿喂养指南，建议在资源有限的环境中，艾滋病毒阳性母亲在婴儿出生后的头6个月进行EBF。然而，尽管在预防母婴传播艾滋病毒项目中投入了更多的资源来促进EBF，但它仍然是一种罕见的做法。在南非，76%的艾滋病毒阳性母亲在婴儿3个月大时用母乳、牛奶和粥混合喂养，约25%的母亲在婴儿出生后的头3天内给婴儿喂水。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In 2010 approximately 370,000 children were newly infected with HIV worldwide as a result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Over 90% of these infections occurred in South Africa. HIV represents the main cause of maternal mortality in South Africa and accounts for over 50% of deaths in children under 5 years old. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has been identified as a key intervention to reduce MTCT of HIV and improve infant health. Although breastfeeding by HIV+ mothers carries a risk of HIV transmission from mother-to-child, that risk decreases from 42% to 2% with the practice of EBF and appropriate antiretroviral therapy. The mechanism by which EBF is associated with lower MTCT is not fully understood, but believed to maintain the gastrointestinal barrier, which is thought to be the primary site of infection. The multiple benefits of EBF in protecting infants fro MTCT of HIV and providing optimal nutrition while protecting them against diarrheal and respiratory illness compared to other feeding methods are significant. Given the overwhelming evidence illustrating these benefits, in 2010 the World Health Organization updated their infant feeding guidelines to recommend in limited-resource settings HIV+ mothers engage in EBF for the first 6 months of their infant's life. However, despite increased resources devoted to promoting EBF within prevention of MTCT of HIV programs, it remains a rare practice. In South Africa, 76% of HIV+ mothers feed their infants a combination of breast milk, cow milk and porridge by 3 months, and approximately 25% introduce water within the first 3 days of the infant's life. Using the Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills (IMB) model of health behavior change as the theoretical and conceptual framework, the proposed study aims to change prevalent non-EBF practice through a well-targeted IMB-model based intervention. The IMB model is applied to elicit the most prominent IMB barriers inhibiting mothers living with HIV from practicing EBF and using this data to inform the design of an IMB-model based intervention to enhance those IMB determinants influencing EBF behavior using motivational interviewing techniques. Rigorous evaluation will occur to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention on EBF-relevant information, motivation, behavioral skills determinants, and EBF practice at 6 weeks follow-up. The proposed study contributes an innovative and practical approach to help eliminate MTCT of HIV through utilizing a well-established and empirically proven model that has been successfully implemented to eliminate other types of HIV risky behavior in South Africa. A contribution that constitutes a critical step in meeting the 2011-2015 Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session.