Women’s willingness to be tested for human immunodeficiency virus during pregnancy: A review

Determinants of Protective Healthcare Services Awareness among Female Syrian Refugees in Turkey

War-related migration may deprive people of access to a regular healthcare system and cause new diseases to be battled. Since refugee women are more vulnerable to diseases during this period, protective healthcare services awareness is critical for early disease diagnosis. Following the civil war that triggered the migration of millions of Syrians, an extensive survey was undertaken in coordination with the World Health Organization Country Office in Turkey to explore the health status of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Employing the survey data, we aimed to investigate the determinants of the awareness of protective health services (Pap smear test, mammogram, HIV test) among female Syrian refugees. Logit regression analysis was applied in order to investigate the determinants of the awareness of protective health services among the female refugee population. The results revealed a notably low rate of awareness of protective health services among female Syrian refugees. Furthermore, the association of explanatory variables, including socioeconomic factors, healthcare use, and health literacy with the protective health services awareness, was found to be significant.

A review of prenatal HIV screening practices among physicians at a tertiary care center in Lebanon: is it culture?

HIV remains one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity among women of reproductive age; given the risk of vertical transmission to the fetus, timely prevention, monitoring and management are imperative (Melaku et al. [2014]. Causes of death among females-investigating beyond maternal causes: A community-based longitudinal study. BMC Research Notes, 7(1), 629. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-7-629). Most HIV studies in Lebanon focus on men who have sex with men, people diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections, intravenous (IV) drug users, and people infected by blood transfusion products Ministry of Public Health [2017]. National AIDS Control Program in Lebanon. https://www.moph.gov.lb/en/Pages/2/4000/aids#/en/Pages/2/4000/aids; Shaheen [2014]. Around 3,750 HIV/AIDS cases in Lebanon. The Daily Star. https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-02/279570-around-3750-hivaidscases-in-lebanon.ashx). We conducted a retrospective review of women who delivered at a tertiary academic hospital in Beirut between January 2016-Decemeber 2017 to assess prenatal HIV screening practices. In total, 1500 charts were randomly selected and reviewed: 137 (9%) women were screened for HIV, 2 (1.5%) tested positive. Odds rations were calculated for screening in relation to religion, parity, previous abortions, and mode of delivery: none were significant. No one was tested for Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia; 1250 (93.8%) were tested for Hepatitis B, 27 (1.9%) for Hepatitis C, 7 (0.5%) for HSV and, 74(5.3%) for Syphilis. Barriers to screening may include: Lack of consensus on mandated screening policy, HIV stigma, physician and patient prejudice and misconception of risk and, financial barriers as health insurance does not cover HIV screening.

Acceptance of HIV Counseling and Testing among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in Southern Ethiopia

Background

Counseling and testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HCT) during antenatal care (ANC) is a critical entry point for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. However, in Ethiopia limited evidence exists regarding the extent of acceptance of the service. The study aimed to assess the level and factors associated with acceptance of HCT in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia.

Methods

Cross-sectional study was conducted in four public health facilities found in the city. Five hundred and four ANC clients were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected via interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed using multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. The outputs are presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

The vast majority, 84.1% (95% CI: 80.6-87.2%), of the respondents accepted the HCT. Acceptance was positively associated with being married [AOR=5.60 (95% CI: 1.87-16.50)], having two or more ANC visits [4.93 (95% CI: 2.40-10.07)], history of prior HIV testing [4.23 (95% CI: 1.90-9.74)], having good knowledge about MTCT [4.91 (95% CI: 2.07-11.6)] and PMTCT [6.22 (95% CI: 2.87-13.50)] and having no fear of stigma and discrimination [3.32 (95% CI: 1.57-7.02)].

Conclusion

Acceptance of HCT can be further improved by enhancing the knowledge of mother about PMTCT and combating stigma and discrimination.