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Predictors of unknown HIV serostatus at the time of labor and delivery in Kampala, Uganda
Author(s) -
Oge Sam,
Karamagi Charles,
Nakabiito Clemensia,
Wandabwa Julius,
Mirembe Florence,
Rukundo Godfrey Z.,
Jennings Larissa
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2013.08.011
Subject(s) - serostatus , medicine , odds ratio , confidence interval , prenatal care , residence , pregnancy , obstetrics , transmission (telecommunications) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , demography , pediatrics , population , family medicine , environmental health , viral load , sociology , biology , electrical engineering , genetics , engineering
Objective To determine factors associated with an unknown HIV serostatus among pregnant women admitted in labor to Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. Methods In total, 665 pregnant women admitted to Mulago Hospital were interviewed about their sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, access to prenatal care, fears regarding HIV testing, and knowledge about modes of mother‐to‐child‐transmission (MTCT). Knowledge of the HIV serostatus was assessed by self‐report and verified by prenatal card review. Results The prevalence of unknown HIV serostatus at the time of labor was 27.1%. Factors associated with an unknown HIV serostatus included high parity (odds ratio [OR] 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16–3.14), preterm delivery (OR 2.60; 95% CI, 1.06–6.34), prenatal care at a private clinic (OR 12.87; 95% CI, 5.68–29.14), residence more than 5 km from the nearest prenatal clinic (OR 2.86; 95% CI, 1.18–17.9), high knowledge about MTCT (OR 0.25; 95% CI, 0.07–0.86), and fears related to disclosing the test result to the partner (OR 3.60; 95% CI, 1.84–7.06). Conclusion The high prevalence of unknown HIV serostatus among women in labor highlights the need to improve accessibility to HIV testing services early during pregnancy to be able to take advantage of antiretroviral therapy.