Opportunities to leverage reproductive goals and ideals among South African men to promote HIV testing, treatment and prevention: a qualitative study

Abstract

Despite significant gains in HIV testing, treatment and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, male engagement and retention in HIV care remains a challenge. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 men with HIV (MWH) living in rural South Africa to explore how men's reproductive goals could inform approaches to engage men and their female partners in HIV care and prevention. Themes were organised into opportunities and barriers for HIV care, treatment and prevention that men articulated as important to their reproductive goals at the individual, couple and community levels. At the individual level, men are motivated to remain healthy so they can raise a healthy child. At the couple level, the importance of maintaining a healthy partner to raise children may promote serostatus-disclosure, testing and encourage men to support partners to access HIV prevention. At the community level, men described the need to be seen as fathers who provide for their families as important motivators to engage in care. Men also articulated barriers including low knowledge about antiretroviral-based HIV prevention, lack of trust within partnerships and community stigma. Addressing reproductive goals of MWH may be an untapped path for promoting male engagement in HIV care and prevention for their partners.