International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 20, Number 7 > Pp. 493-498

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by de O X Ramos, V Articles by de A Ximenes, R A PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Original research articles

Unawareness of HIV status in pregnancy, delay in testing and conflict between information on antenatal card and interview in Recife, Brazil

V de O X Ramos MD MSc ^* , H R Lacerda MD PhD ^*   and R A de A Ximenes MD PhD ^* 

^* Postgraduate Course in Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco; Agamenon Magalhães Hospital, State Health Department of Pernambuco; Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital, University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Correspondence to: Dr H R Lacerda. R. Profa. Anunciada da Rocha Melo, 97 apt. 501, Madalena, 50710–390 Recife, PE, Brazil Email: helramos{at}terra.com.br

Overall HIV test coverage among pregnant women in Brazil is 62%, but only 41% in northeastern Brazil. We aimed to identify risk factors for unawareness of HIV status among pregnant women and determine test coverage up to 14th week of pregnancy. We conducted a case-control study in a reference maternity hospital for high-risk pregnancy in Recife, where 485 puerperae were interviewed about their knowledge of results of HIV testing, biological, sociodemographic and health-care data. Cases were those who were not aware of their HIV status and controls were those who were. Only 21.65% stated that they were unaware of their HIV status during pregnancy (78.35% coverage); however, test results were recorded on an antenatal card in only 48.35%. Only 22% received the result by the 14th week of pregnancy. Unawareness was associated with low schooling (odds ratio [OR] = 2.92; P = 0.006); living outside the state capital's metropolitan region (OR = 4.11; P = 0.001); test performed in the third trimester (OR = 11.6; P = 0.000); and lack of counselling (OR = 2.31; P = 0.022) in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, there has been a considerable delay in having an HIV test. Conflict of Information obtained by interview and that on the antenatal card raises questions about deficiencies in antenatal care or lack of comprehension about the HIV test.

Key Words: HIV testing • vertical HIV transmission • counselling • pregnancy

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?