Determination of Factors Associated With Adherence of Pregnant Women to HIV Screening in Indonesia: A Single-Center Study

Abstract

Background: The number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive cases is increasing every year. This will in turn increase the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Despite the efforts made and counseling from health workers, only a small proportion of pregnant women adhere to HIV screening and retests in the city of Jambi, Indonesia. This study aimed to determine factors associated with adherence of pregnant women to HIV screening at the Putri Ayu public health center, Jambi City, Indonesia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 93 pregnant women who received antenatal care services at the Putri Ayu health center in Jambi City, Indonesia, from February to August 2020. The subjects were selected via a proportional quota sampling method. Data were collected using a 4-part questionnaire on demographic characteristics, vulnerability perception, knowledge of HIV, and adherence to HIV screening. The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The majority of subjects were young (66.3%), unemployed (59.8%) and with low education level (71.7%). Only 33.7% of the respondents had good adherence to HIV screening. Of these individuals, 22.8% had good knowledge of HIV, 28.3% were adults, 40.2% were employed, and 28.3% had high education level. Adherence to HIV screening had significant association with knowledge (P=0.0001), age (P=0.0001), perceptions of vulnerability (P=0.017), occupation status (P=0.017), and education level (P=0.020). Conclusion: Based on the results, knowledge, perception, age, education level, and occupation of pregnant women significantly affect their adherence to HIV screening at the Putri Ayu Health Center, Jambi City.

Keywords

• knowledge
• perception
• adherence
• pregnant women
• hiv testing