title: Universal prenatal HIV screening: patient attitudes and perceptions.
abstract: In 1995, Center for Disease Control guidelines were modified to replace targeted HIV screening of pregnant women with universal screening. Public health scholars have argued that one rationale for universal screening is to reduce the potential stigmatization of women of color and lower socioeconomic status who are typically targeted under selective screening. Here, we examine whether experiences and impressions of prenatal screening differ across socioeconomic and racial lines. Data are drawn from an NIH-funded pilot study of 353 pregnant women across several sites in Connecticut, a state with unusually strong prenatal HIV screening laws. We find no significant differences on testing protocols and attitudes toward mandatory HIV screening. However, minority and lower socioeconomic status women are more likely (1) to understand the screening law, (2) to report that their doctor stresses the importance of the test, and (3) to express much higher levels of concern about the confidentiality of the test.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, 341 Mansfield Road, U-1024, Storrs, CT 06269-1024, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Chase H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data