Factors that influence the acceptance of HIV testing by pregnant women in Nnewi Nigeria

Abstract

Context: HIV testing in pregnancy is the gateway to accessing care for the mother and the child. The interventions in Prevention of Mother-to –Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV can only be applied to a woman whose status is known. Therefore determining the HIV status of pregnant women is a key factor to the success of any prevention programme. Objective: To determine the various factors influencing the acceptance of HIV testing by our pregnant women. Study design, setting and subjects: The study was conducted at the antenatal clinic of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi which is the only tertiary public hospital in Anambra State. This is a cross sectional study in which questionnaires were administered to the pregnant women at the antenatal clinic on one to one bases and data collected was analysed and presented in tables and compared with simple percentages. Results: During the period of study, 200 antenatal; women responded to the questionnaires. Their age ranged from 15- 42 years with the highest age group being 25-29years (41.0%). Highest educational level and occupation of the pregnant women significantly influenced their having and HIV test (P Keywords : HIV testing, Acceptance, Pregnancy women, Nnewi. Tropical Journal of Medical Research Vol. 10(1) 2006: pp. 1-5