Okonkwo K.C., Reich K., Alabi A.I., Umeike N., Nachman S.A.
Division Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States; West African AIDS Group, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66106, Unit
Okonkwo, K.C., Division Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66106, United States; Reich, K., West African AIDS Group, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Alabi, A.I., West African AIDS Group, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Umeike, N., West African AIDS Group, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; Nachman, S.A., Division Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
The rate of HIV seroprevalence in Nigeria is troublesome because it is one of the highest prevalence rates worldwide. As in most developing countries, vertical transmission from mother to child accounts for most of the HIV infections in Nigerian children. The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness, attitudes, and beliefs of pregnant Nigerian women toward voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV. Two hundred forty pregnant women in Awka, Nigeria, completed questionnaires aimed at determining their willingness to accept or reject VCT. Furthermore, participants where questioned about their knowledge of HIV infection, routes of transmission, and treatment options. The majority of the women (87%) approved of VCT; of those who approved, 93% were aware that VCT could reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to their babies. All respondents who accepted VCT were willing to be tested if results remained confidential and 89% would accept if they were tested simultaneously with their partners. 69% of the women who refused VCT attribute their refusal to the social and cultural stigmatization associated with HIV. Overall, the acceptance of VCT appears to depend on the understanding that VCT has proven benefits for the unborn child. Sociocultural factors such as stigmatization of HIV-infected individuals appears to be the major barrier toward widespread acceptance of VCT in Nigeria, thus the development of innovative health education strategies is essential for providing women with information regarding the benefits of VCT and other means of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
adult; article; attitude to health; awareness; evaluation; female; health belief; health education; human; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; Human immunodeficiency virus prevalence; infection prevention; infection risk; Nigeria; patient counseling; pregnancy; pregnant woman; questionnaire; stigma; treatment refusal; vertical transmission; Adult; Counseling; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Transmission, Vertical; Evaluation Studies; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV Infections; Humans; Nigeria; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Prejudice; Questionnaires