A Study on the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Pregnant Women Regarding HIV and Routine Rapid Testing: An Assessment in a High-Risk Marginal Area

Knowledge and Attitudes about Mother-to-Child Transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in a Context of Social Vulnerability: The Case of the Province of Essaouira, Morocco

Background

Despite health education efforts, pregnant women still face major health problems.The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women on measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus in a context of social vulnerability.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional survey of 384 pregnant women randomly selected from the 20 health districts in the province of Essaouira. This study was carried out from January 2022 to June 2022. A questionnaire was used, and bivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Results

Low knowledge (75.8%) and negative attitudes (72.7%) about preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV were observed in study participants. The knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV varied by education level, number of children, and source of information. There was a very significant correlation between knowledge and attitude (p=0.000).

Conclusion

A significant number of pregnant women have incomplete knowledge and attitudes about preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Actions to increase the knowledge of pregnant women are essential. The capacity of healthcare providers should also be strengthened to improve the quality of care.

Factors Affecting Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among HIV-Positive Pregnant Women in Greece: An Exploratory Study

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a major public health problem globally. Each year, approximately 1.4 million women living with HIV get pregnant. This contemporary descriptive study investigates the degree of compliance of HIV-positive women-patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy. A sample of 200 treated HIV-positive pregnant women (mean age, 32.9 years; Greek nationality, 67.5%; poor educational level, 28.5%) was selected. The data collection occurred in three acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reference centers in Athens, Greece, from November 2019 to September 2021. Patients’ median knowledge score was 50% (IQR: 38.9−61.1%), and their median attitude score was 4.2 (IQR: 3.6−4.4); 13.0% of participants did comply with ART treatment. Specifically, 7.0% of them failed to take their treatment twice when asked about their activities over the preceding 7 days, and 3.0% skipped it three times. Women of Greek nationality had significantly higher compliance with treatment (p < 0.001). Additionally, a higher compared to lower education level was significantly associated with greater compliance (p = 0.001), while women with a low level of social support had significantly lower compliance. Participants who had complied with ART had significantly higher knowledge and attitude scores (p = 0.027). Patient characteristics determine compliance with ART in HIV-positive pregnant women in Greece, while the availability and quality of health system services may modulate this relationship.