Voluntary HIV counseling and testing during prenatal care in Brazil

Bibliographic Data

ID9259534
AuthorsMarcelo Zubaran Goldani (0000-0002-7414-5443, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Elsa Regina Justo Giugliani (0000-0001-6569-6473, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Elsa Regina, Thomas Scanlon (0000-0003-2501-679X, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Justo Giugliani, Humberto Rosa (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Thomas C Scanlon (0000-0002-4165-1171), Kelli Castilhos (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Kelli Ferreira Castilhos, Letícia Feldens (0000-0003-4675-1830, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Andrew Tomkins (0000-0002-1611-9255, University College of London, England)
Year2003
Volume37
Issue5
Pages552-558
Publication date2003-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRevista de Saúde Pública (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-8910 • E-ISSN: 0034-8910
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/s0034-89102003000500002
OpenAlexW844549175
SCIELO_PIDS0034-89102003000500002
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited8

OBJECTIVE: Voluntary HIV counseling and testing are provided to all Brazilian pregnant women with the purpose of reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission. The purpose of the study was to assess characteristics of HIV testing and identify factors associated with HIV counseling and testing. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out comprising 1,658 mothers living in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Biological, reproductive and social variables were obtained from mothers by means of a standardized questionnaire. Being counseling about HIV testing was the dependent variable. Confidence intervals, chi-square test and hierarchical logistic model were used to determine the association between counseling and maternal variables. RESULTS: Of 1,658 mothers interviewed, 1,603 or 96.7% (95% CI: 95.7-97.5) underwent HIV testing, and 51 or 3.1% (95% CI: 2.3-4.0) were not tested. Four (0.2%) refused to undergo testing after counseling. Of 51 women not tested in this study, 30 had undergone the testing previously. Of 1,603 women tested, 630 or 39.3% (95% CI: 36.9-41.7) received counseling, 947 or 59.2% (95% CI: 56.6-61.5) did not, and 26 (1.6%) did not inform. Low income, lack of prenatal care, late beginning of prenatal care, use of rapid testing, and receiving prenatal in the public sector were variables independently associated with a lower probability of getting counseling about HIV testing. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings confirmed the high rate of prenatal HIV testing in Porto Alegre. However, women coming from less privileged social groups were less likely to receive information and benefit from counseling

Confidence interval · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health services · Logistic regression · Obstetrics · Population · Pregnancy · Prenatal care · Voluntary counseling and testing · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Demography · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Internal Medicine