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MEDIA CENTER A Mother’s Day Gift WASHINGTON, DC (11 May 2007)—Staff members from the Population Council's Horizons program are hosting a symposium to discuss findings from their evaluation of mothers2mothers on Friday, 11 May, 8:30–11:00 am at the Washington Club (15 Dupont Circle, Washington, DC 20036). Mothers2mothers is a South African educational and mentoring program for HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is a priority among program planners in sub-Saharan Africa and around the globe. But there are obstacles to reaching women with services. Providers are overburdened and have difficulty following up with women both during pregnancy and after delivery. Women have trouble adhering to medical recommendations because of cultural norms and values and stigma associated with HIV. The lack of comprehensive services and women’s difficulties in adhering to medical recommendations result in pediatric infection rates that could be reduced. The mothers2mothers (m2m) program was created to respond to these difficulties in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to complement existing services. Recognizing that women need psychosocial support upon learning that they are HIV-positive, m2m provides peer support not only to help women accept their HIV status but, together with information and education, to help women adhere to PMTCT recommendations. While there has been much interest in this innovative program, this is the first evaluation to assess its effectiveness. The evaluation study, which consisted of two cross-sectional studies at baseline and follow-up of HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women, examined whether participation in m2m is associated with women’s acceptance of key PMTCT services and outcomes. Findings suggest that the program achieved good coverage among both pregnant and postpartum women and helped them adhere to medical recommendations. Postpartum women who had two or more contacts with the program were more likely to disclose their HIV status, helping to break the silence around HIV. They were also more likely to have taken the prescribed drug and to have received the infant dose after delivery. Postpartum program participants were also more likely to follow the recommendations about how to feed their infant to reduce transmission postnatally. The findings of the evaluation also highlight important psychosocial outcomes of the m2m intervention. For example, pregnant participants were significantly more likely to feel they could do things to help themselves, to cope with taking care of their babies, and to have a positive outlook. Postpartum participants were significantly less likely to feel alone in the world, overwhelmed by problems, or hopeless about the future. The study concluded that m2m plays an important role in providing a continuum of care for HIV-positive women and their infants and helps women to adhere to medical recommendations to reduce transmission of HIV from mother to child. About the Population Council ### Media contacts See Also
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