Open AccessPrevalence and correlates of pregnancy self-testing among pregnant women attending antenatal care in western Kenya
Author(s) -
Nijeri Nganga,
Julia Dettinger,
John Kinuthia,
Jared M. Baeten,
Grace JohnStewart,
Laurén Gómez,
Mary Marwa,
Ben Ochieng,
Jillian Pintye,
Kenneth Mugwanya,
Melissa Latigo Mugambi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0258578
Subject(s) - pregnancy , medicine , pregnancy test , family medicine , cross sectional study , obstetrics , population , test (biology) , health care , environmental health , paleontology , genetics , pathology , economics , biology , economic growth
In sub-Saharan Africa little is known about how often women use pregnancy self-tests or characteristics of these women despite evidence that pregnancy self-testing is associated with early antenatal care (ANC) initiation. Understanding the characteristics of women who use pregnancy self-tests can facilitate more targeted efforts to improve pregnancy testing experiences and entry into the ANC pathway. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among pregnant women enrolling in a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation study to determine the prevalence and factors associated with pregnancy self-testing among women in western Kenya. Overall, in our study population, 17% of women obtained a pregnancy self-test from a pharmacy. Pregnancy test use was higher among employed women, women with secondary and college-level educated partners, and women who spent 30 minutes or less traveling to the maternal and child health (MCH) clinic. The most reported reasons for non-use of pregnancy self-tests included not thinking it was necessary, lack of knowledge, and money to pay for the test. Future research should focus on understanding the knowledge and attitudes of women toward pregnancy self-testing as well as developing community-based models to improve access to pregnancy testing and ANC.