The importance of male spousal involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) programs is incremental to maintain family health and adherence to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention regimens. This study examined reasons for men's involvement in pMTCT initiatives sought by their wives and other HIV-related services in western Kenya. Data were collected from 146 men and women during 16 focus groups across four different HIV-related clinics. Four different groups of participants were recruited: (1) male spouses of women enrolled in pMTCT within the past 12 months; (2) married men who were participating in support groups of the AMPATH Support Network; (3) married women living with HIV who were currently enrolled in pMTCT; and (4) married women who were HIV negative and currently enrolled in pMTCT. Demographic information was collected from each participant using a written questionnaire. Focus groups were conducted to determine the factors associated with men's participation in pMTCT services. From the emergent themes revealed by the focus groups, several intervention strategies were identified to increase male involvement in HIV-related services, specifically pMTCT. They include: couple's counseling, weekend clinic hours or extended weekday hours, community education regarding HIV-related services offered at clinics, and making clinics more male-oriented. These findings provide a starting point for the development of interventions to increase men's involvement in pMTCT programs.

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Introduction Despite the benefits of gynecological exams, they continue to be underused. A woman's decision to seek gynecological care may be influenced by a number of factors including genital image, body image, and sexual behaviors. Aims The purpose of this study was to assess if genital self-image, body image, and sexual behaviors predict gynecological exam behaviors among a convenience sample of college women. Methods Data were collected from female students enrolled in health-related courses at a large southern university. A total of 450 completed surveys were collected. Main Outcome Measure Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze participant characteristics. Reliability analyses were conducted to assess internal consistency of scales used within the study, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient as an indicator of this reliability. Predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) was used to indicate the predictor, or group of predictors, best suited to predict gynecological exam behaviors of college women. Results Hit rates yielded from the PDA indicate the number of cases correctly predicted by the classification functions, with higher hit rates being indicative of better predictive capabilities. The following variables were found to be most predictive of gynecological exam behaviors: (i) having had a vaginal intercourse (VI) partner during the past 3 months (68.2%); (ii) genital self-image paired with having had a VI partner (68.2%); (iii) having had a VI partner paired with having had an anal intercourse (AI) partner during the past 3 months (68.2%); and (iv) genital self-image, VI, and AI combined (68.2%). Conclusion VI behavior was found to be the primary predictor of gynecological exam behavior in the current study. Understanding the factors influencing a woman's decision to engage in regular gynecological exams is important in order for health and medical professionals to address the limiting factors in this preventive health measure.

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