Prevalence of HIV among pregnant women in three HIV-affected districts in Sindh, Pakistan

Author(s):  
Ajmal Agha ◽  
Fozia Ajmal ◽  
Afshan Khurshid ◽  
Altaf Ahmed Soomro ◽  
Nazia Farrukh ◽  
...  

Objective: To conduct a community-based cross-sectional survey to determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among pregnant women in taluka Ratodero, Larkana, and two adjacent talukas: Sajawal, district Kambar Shahdadkot and Garhi Yasin, district Shikarpur. Methods: The study was conducted among pregnant women in the three talukas of rural Sindh: Ratodero, Garhi Yasin, and Sajawal, from October 16, 2020 - December 23, 2020. A total of 1,157 pregnant women were interviewed at their homes and tested using the AlereTM HIV Combo rapid finger prick test. The study captured women's sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics, including age, education, employment, number of children, home or hospital delivery, antenatal care use, antenatal trimester, history of blood transfusion, and HIV test result. Descriptive statistics were calculated: percentages for categorical variables and mean ± standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables. Results: It was found that 0.35% (4/1,157) of women were HIV-positive, of which 3 were in Ratodero, Larkana, and 1 was in Garhi Yasin, Shikarpur. The average age of women was 28.7 ± 4.0 years. Most of the women (n=1067; 92.2%) of women did not attend a school, and 99.0% (n=1145) had never had a formal job. The average gestational age was 7.6 (±2.2) months. More than three-quarters of the women participating in the study (n=894; 77.3%) were not registered with a formal healthcare facility for antenatal care. Continuous...

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Célestin Ndosimao Nsibu ◽  
Célestin Manianga ◽  
Serge Kapanga ◽  
Esther Mona ◽  
Philippe Pululu ◽  
...  

Background. Antenatal care (ANC) attendance helps pregnant women to benefit from preventive and curative services.Methods. Determinants for ANC attendance were identified through a cross-sectional survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sociocultural bottlenecks were assessed via focus groups discussion of married men and women.Results. In this survey, 28 of the 500 interviewed pregnant women (5.6%) did not attend ANC services and 82.4% booked over the first trimester. The first visit is positively influenced by the reproductive age (OR: 0.52, 95% CI(0.28–0.95),p<0.04), the educational level (OR: 0.41,95% CI(0.17–0.97),p<0.04), the nearby health center (OR: 0.43, 95% CI(0.2–0.92),p<0.03), and the presence of a male partner (OR: 10.48, 95% CI(2.1–52.23),p<0.001). The barriers to early booking were (i) the cost of service; (ii) the appearance or individual income; (iii) the geographical inaccessibility or distance to health facilities; (iv) social and religious prohibitions; (v) the stigmatization from other women when conceiving in the late ages or young or while still lactating (parity); (vi) the time for waiting for services.Conclusion. The early ANC attendance is delayed among poor women with little education and living alone.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Njeri Nganga ◽  
Julia Dettinger ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Jared Baeten ◽  
Grace John-Stewart ◽  
...  

Abstract 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) attendance. Understanding the characteristics of women who use pregnancy self-tests may facilitate early access to ANC and preventive interventions in pregnancy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey on an ongoing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation study which enrolled pregnant women to determine the prevalence and factors associated with pregnancy self-testing among women in western Kenya. Overall in our study population, the prevalence of pregnancy self-testing was 22% and higher among women who were employed, currently in school, had previous pregnancy complications, received services from urban health facilities, and had partners who had at least attended secondary school. The most reported reasons for non-use of pregnancy self-tests included not thinking it was necessary, lack of knowledge, and lack of money to pay for the test. Future research should focus on understanding the knowledge and attitudes of women toward pregnancy self-testing.


Author(s):  
Puji Astuti Wiratmo ◽  
Lisnadiyanti ◽  
Nurkamilia Sopianah

Introduction: Antenatal Care (ANC) is an effort to detect the occurrence of high risk in pregnant women. However, ANC non-compliance was still found due to several factors. Aim of study: This study aims to determine factors that influence ANC visits to ANC behavior at Puskesmas Pasar Rebo East Jakarta. Method: This study used a descriptive correlation design with a cross-sectional survey. Data analysis used Spearman's rho with 117 respondents. Results and Discussion: The results showed that there are some factors that influence ANC visits to ANC behavior, including age with a correlation value (r = 0.419), a p-value of 0.000; education with a correlation value (r = 0.425), p-value of 0.000; jobs with a correlation value (r = 0.279), p-value of 0.002; income with a correlation value (r = 0.407), p-value of 0.000; knowledge with a correlation value (r = 0.409), p-value of 0.000; husband / family support with a correlation value (r = 0.417), p-value of 0.000; attitude with a correlation value (r = 0.597), p-value of 0.000 (<0.05). Irregularity in carrying out ANC has a bad impact on pregnant women because they are not aware of the risk factors that may occur to the mother and her fetus and can not be detected early on the disease suffered by pregnant women. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is nurses as health workers need to increase their role as educators and health care provider to pregnant women and their families about the importance of ANC to reduce maternal mortality and monitor the state of the fetus.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson P. Bear ◽  
Wendy L. Bennett ◽  
Joanne Katz ◽  
Kyu Han Lee ◽  
Atique Iqbal Chowdhury ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Health care systems in limited resource settings may not meet the needs of pregnant women where the burden of diabetes and hypertension is rapidly increasing. We described screening and diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension among recently pregnant women in rural Bangladesh and the antenatal care received.Methods: We asked recently pregnant women about ever having been screened for or diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes and their antenatal care-seeking experiences in a cross-sectional survey in the Baliakandi, Bangladesh. We used chi-squared tests and logistic regression to test the associations between self-reported coverage of hypertension and diabetes screening, diagnoses, and elements of antenatal care by age, wealth, educational attainment, and gravidity. Results: Among 4,692 respondents, 97% reported having been screened and 10% of screened women reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Women 30–39 years of age (aOR 3.02, 95% CI 2.00, 4.56) or in the top wealth quintile (aOR 1.70, 95% CI 1.18, 2.44) were more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension compared to reference groups. Any hypertension diagnosis was associated with reporting four or more antenatal care contacts (44% vs. 35%, p < 0.01), blood pressure measurements (85% vs. 79%, p < 0.01), and urine (71% vs. 61%, p < 0.01) tests conducted during antenatal care visits.For diabetes, 46% of respondents reported having been screened and 3% of screened women reported a diagnosis. Women 30–39 years of age were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes (aOR 8.19, 95% CI 1.74, 38.48) compared to the reference group. Any diabetes diagnosis was associate with reporting four or more antenatal care contacts (48% vs. 36%, p = 0.04) and having blood testing during pregnancy (83% vs. 66%, p < 0.01). However, the frequency and quality of antenatal care was below the national guidelines among all groups.Conclusion: Focused efforts to ensure that women receive the recommended number of antenatal care contacts, coupled with improved compliance with antenatal care guidelines (including universal screening for diabetes at 24–28 weeks of pregnancy), would improve awareness of hypertension and diabetes among women in Bangladesh.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Summer Williams ◽  
George Bruxner ◽  
Emma Ballard ◽  
Alka Kothari

Abstract Background: The decision of whether to prescribe antidepressants (AD) and anxiolytics (AX) to pregnant women is complex, with serious potential ramifications. Clinicians’ perception of the risk of teratogenicity significantly influences their prescribing decisions and in turn impacts maternal decision making. Our cross-sectional study sought to discern differences in perceived risk between Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (O&Gs) and General Practitioners (GPs) when prescribing these medications in pregnancy. Furthermore, we investigated factors impacting perception, clinicians’ willingness to prescribe and their approach to provision of patient information. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted via a nation-wide online SurveyMonkey extended to Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) database-derived affiliates: GP diplomates, fellows and trainees (5409 survey invitations: 545 respondents). O&Gs and GPs were compared using Pearson Chi-squared test for categorical variables and the Student t-test for continuous variables. Results: GPs reported higher rates of being aware of up-to-date medication prescription recommendations (57.6%) compared with O&Gs (44.2%). GPs also reported higher rates of training adequacy in psychotropic prescription (56.1% versus 29.0%). There was evidence to suggest GPs level of confidence in knowledge base, initiation and prescription of AD and AX was higher than those of O&Gs. The mean perception of patient non-compliance was similar between clinician groups (approximately 35%), but GPs perceived the extent of patient anxiety as higher compared to O&Gs (mean 73.7% (SD 21.3) versus 63.1% (SD 24.1), p<0.001). Both groups showed a strong preference for improved training rather than patient-focused technology (above 70% for both groups). Conclusion: Further development of clinician training in perinatal psychotropic prescription is warranted.


2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 1065-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
SM Ziauddin Hyder ◽  
Lars-Åke Persson ◽  
Mushtaque Chowdhury ◽  
Bo Lönnerdal ◽  
Eva-Charlotte Ekström

AbstractObjective:To study the prevalence of anaemia and its association with measures of iron deficiency (ID) among a group of pregnant women.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Setting:Pregnant women identified through house-to-house visits and participating in community-based antenatal care activities in a rural location of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.Subjects:The estimates are based on 214 reportedly healthy pregnant women in their second trimester. Information on socio-economic status and reproductive history were obtained through home visits and venous blood samples were collected at antenatal care centres. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) was measured by HemoCue, serum ferritin (sFt) by radioimmunoassay and serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. ID was defined as presence of either low sFt (<12 μg l−1) or high sTfR (>8.5 mg l−1).Results:The prevalence of anaemia (Hb <110 g l−1) was 50%, but severe anaemia (Hb >70 g l−1) was absent. Low sFt was observed in 42%, high sTfR in 25%, either low sFt or high TfR in 54% and both low sFt and high TfR in 13% of the pregnant women. Two out of three anaemic women had an indication of ID, which was present in 80% of women with moderate (Hb 70–99 g l−1) and 50% with mild (Hb 100–109 g l−1) anaemia. Four out of 10 non-anaemic women (Hb >110 g l−1) also had ID, but the prevalence was significantly lower than that observed in anaemic women (P=0.001).Conclusions:Despite the high prevalence of anaemia, severe cases were absent. The prevalence of ID increased at lower Hb. However, an increased prevalence was also found among women in the highest category of Hb.


2012 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Mostert-Wentzel ◽  
LJ Masenyetse ◽  
N Dinat ◽  
A Botha ◽  
LD Jonkers ◽  
...  

How do physiotherapists in Gauteng Province,who are members of the South African Society of Physiotherapy(SASP), view social responsibility?A cross-sectional survey was conducted after ethics approval.All 1 098 Gauteng members of the SASP were invited via a thirdpartye-mail to reach the a priori minimum sample size of 97. Theweb-based questionnaire was developed from literature, an earlierSASP survey and a position paper of the American Physical TherapyAssociation (APTA). Five experts validated the instrument.The Likert scale scores indicating agreement with indicatorsof social responsibility were totalled to form a composite socialresponsibility score. The chi-square test for independence was used to determine associations between the categorisedcomposite social responsibility score and categorical variables. Mean difference of continuous variables betweenthe categorised core for two groups were tested using the two-sample t-test. All variables with a P-value less than0.05 were included in the logistic regression analysis to investigate predictors of the necessity of social responsibility.The survey was completed by 163 participants. Of the sample, 96.9% viewed social responsibility as important.Subjects agreed most with “advocating for the health needs of society” (74,2%) and the least with “political activism”(6.1%). Compulsory community service positively influenced 74.6%.Most physiotherapists in the study viewed social responsibility as important and were involved in volunteering.There is scope to broaden the understanding among physiotherapists of what social responsibility entails.


Author(s):  
Clement Kevin Edet ◽  
Agiriye M. Harry ◽  
Anthony Ike Wegbom ◽  
Benjamin O. Osaro

Introduction: Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic there has been concerns about the imminent collapse of the health system if healthcare workers are physically, mentally, and socially affected to the point where service delivery is compromised. Therefore, this study investigated the fear, psychosomatic symptoms, and satisfaction of the Primary Healthcare Workers (PHCWs) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Rivers State Nigeria. Methods: A facility cross-sectional survey was conducted involving the primary healthcare workers. Descriptive analysis of mean with standard deviation were reported for continuous variables, frequency and percentage were used to report categorical variables. Results: A total of 412 PHCWs participated in the study (mean age: 39.5±7.5). 223 (54.4%) were sure of going to work, while 260 (63.4%) were afraid of contracting the COVID-19 virus. However, 294 (71.7%) were not stigmatized and 256 (62.4%) were satisfied with their capacity for work. Also, 333 (81.2%), 357(87.3%), and 271(66.6%) were not satisfied with, transportation, money to meet their daily needs, and work environment, respectively. Perceived psychosomatic symptoms by respondents were chest pain (50.0%), stomach upset (38.0%), lump in the throat (40.0%), no feeling of hunger (52.0%), and shortness of breath (32.0%). Anxiety and stress symptoms experienced were inability to concentrate (38.2%), got angry easily (24.9%), worried (48.5%), low mood, anxiety, or depression (24.1%) and afraid of encountering security personnel on their way to work (67.6%). Conclusions: We observed perceived fears, psychosomatic, anxiety, and stress symptoms, as well as low satisfaction among the primary healthcare workers. We suggest that the government and health care agencies should put in place measures that will improve the psychological well-being and mental health of the PHCWs during the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Njeri Nganga ◽  
Julia Dettinger ◽  
John Kinuthia ◽  
Jared Baeten ◽  
Grace John-Stewart ◽  
...  

Abstract 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.


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