Knowledge of Treatment to Reduce Perinatal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Transmission and Likelihood of Testing for HIV: Results from Two Surveys of Women of Childbearing Age

Objective: To determine whether knowledge of zidovudine treatment to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV increases the likelihood of HIV testing among women of childbearing age at increased risk for HIV infection.

Method: Data from two samples were analyzed. The Young Women Survey was a population-based, door-to-door survey of 2,545 women aged 18 to 29 years who were living in lower-income neighborhoods. For the Perinatal Survey, women receiving prenatal care or who had delivered within the previous six months (N = 850) were recruited at randomly selected sites. Most (71.2%) of these participants were covered by public payment sources for their prenatal care. Data were collected within California counties with high rates of HIV among newborns, high rates of HIV among female clients of alternative test sites, and high rates of AIDS among female injection drug users. Most participants from both surveys were women of color.

Results: Participants who knew about zidovudine therapy for HIV-positive pregnant women were more likely to have had an HIV test, regardless of race/ethnicity, age, education, or number of previous births. The majority of women (79.3%) from both samples stated that they were more likely to take a test for HIV knowing about zidovudine treatment.

Conclusions: HIV educators should include information on zidovudine therapy in campaigns designed to promote HIV testing among women. Prenatal care providers should incorporate a brief discussion about the benefits of zidovudine treatment when providing HIV counseling to patients.