title: An assessment of the understanding of the offer of routine HIV testing among pregnant women in rural Zimbabwe.
abstract: The objective of this study is to assess the understanding of routine offer of HIV testing among women using antenatal care (ANC) services in a rural African district. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Murewa district, Zimbabwe, among women consecutively enrolled during their first ANC visit in 10 health centres offering prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services including routine offer of HIV testing. Ninety-three (64%) of the 146 respondents had received some form of education on the importance of HIV testing before visiting the health centre on the day of their interview. Almost all respondents (n=139; 95%) felt that the information provided during the group education was sufficient to make a decision on whether or not they should have an HIV test. HIV testing uptake was high with 136 (93%) women being tested for HIV on the day of the interview. Of these, 128 (94%) were aware that they had been tested for HIV when interviewed before the time of receiving results. Fifty percent (n=67) of the women who accepted HIV testing directly after group education as part of their routine ANC blood tests were not aware, however, of the possibility of opting for individual pre-test counseling. The study found that in Zimbabwe, implementation of routine offer of HIV testing allowed women using ANC services to make an informed conscious decision to undertake an HIV test as part of the PMTCT package of services. There is a need to emphasize the availability of further individual pre-test counseling if necessary since a selected subgroup of women may still benefit from it.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology and Development (ISPED)-Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mugore
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Engelsmann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ndoro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dabis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perez
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015497:HIV-1; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000523:psychology; D018580:Mandatory Testing; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015030:Zimbabwe