Nzelu Charles, Aagard Magdeline, Danawi Hadi, Francavillo Gwendolyn S, Melea Pelagia
Department of Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria.
College of Health Sciences and Public Policy, Walden University, USA.
Niger Med J. 2024 Jun 20;65(3):344-353. doi: 10.60787/nmj-v65i3-441. eCollection 2024 May-Jun.
The fear of positive HIV results has been reported as a determinant of HIV testing among pregnant women and women of reproductive age. When pregnant women know about discriminatory practices toward other people based on their HIV-positive status, it may impact their testing for HIV. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between Nigerian pregnant women's knowledge of discriminatory practices against persons living with HIV and their self-reported HIV testing during antenatal visits or childbirth.
A secondary analysis of data from 659 t women who had experienced pregnancy aged 15-49 years from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) was done. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association between knowledge about discriminatory practices towards HIV-positive individuals (independent variable) and HIV testing during pregnancy (dependent variable) after controlling for covariates (demographic characteristics). A P-value of ≤ 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.
Bivariate logistic regression analysis findings showed that educational level, place of residence, and religion statistically significantly predicted HIV testing of pregnant women, while age categories and marital status did not. The women's knowledge of discriminatory practices towards persons living with HIV/AIDS was not statistically significant at Alpha = 0.05 (AOR,1.51; 95% CI: .46, 4.95) Higher levels of education (Primary Education, AOR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.03, 3.18; Secondary Education, AOR = 3.73; 95% CI: 1.92, 7.25; Higher Education, AOR = 10.92; 95% CI: 4.25, 28.05) and those living in urban areas (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.51) were significantly associated with testing for HIV in the stepwise multivariable regression model of pregnant women's knowledge of discriminatory practices towards persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Although knowledge of discriminatory practices did not predict pregnant women's HIV testing in this study, interventions by stakeholders to eliminate or reduce these practices should be stepped up towards facilitating positive social change.
据报道，对艾滋病毒检测呈阳性结果的恐惧是影响孕妇和育龄妇女进行艾滋病毒检测的一个因素。当孕妇了解到基于他人艾滋病毒阳性状况的歧视行为时，这可能会影响她们进行艾滋病毒检测。因此，本研究的目的是调查尼日利亚孕妇对艾滋病毒感染者的歧视行为的认知与她们在产前检查或分娩时自我报告的艾滋病毒检测之间的关联。
对2013年尼日利亚人口与健康调查（NDHS）中659名年龄在15 - 49岁之间有过怀孕经历的女性的数据进行二次分析。在控制协变量（人口统计学特征）后，进行多变量逻辑回归分析，以确定对艾滋病毒阳性个体的歧视行为的认知（自变量）与孕期艾滋病毒检测（因变量）之间的关联。P值≤0.05被视为具有统计学意义。
二元逻辑回归分析结果显示，教育程度、居住地点和宗教在统计学上显著预测了孕妇的艾滋病毒检测情况，而年龄类别和婚姻状况则不然。在α = 0.05时，女性对艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染者的歧视行为的认知在统计学上不显著（调整后比值比[AOR]，1.51；95%置信区间：0.46，4.95）。在孕妇对艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染者的歧视行为的逐步多变量回归模型中，较高的教育水平（小学教育，AOR = 1.81；95%置信区间：1.03，3.18；中学教育，AOR = 3.73；95%置信区间：1.92，7.25；高等教育，AOR = 10.92；95%置信区间：4.25，28.05）以及居住在城市地区的人（AOR = 1.62；95%置信区间：1.04，2.51）与艾滋病毒检测显著相关。
尽管在本研究中对歧视行为的认知并不能预测孕妇的艾滋病毒检测情况，但利益相关者应加强干预措施以消除或减少这些行为，从而促进积极的社会变革。
