The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #68157

Shahul Ebrahim, MD, MSc, PhD, Division of HIV/AIDS, CDC, Mail stop E46, 1600 cifton rd, atlanta, GA 30345, 404-639-2006, sebrahim@cdc.gov, John E. Anderson, PhD, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/MS E-46, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, and Stephanie L. Sansom, PhD, MPP, MPH, Epidemiology Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-45, Atlanta, GA 30333.

Background/Objective: Effective treatments to prevent perinatal mother-to-child transmission have led to the recommendation that all pregnant women be tested for HIV, but many are not tested. We assessed knowledge among US women of childbearing age about antiretroviral prophylaxis available to reduce mother-to-infant HIV transmission. Methods: We used data from 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationally-representative survey of adults, and analyzed the responses of a 55,712 women aged 18 to 44 years to questions about the availability of HIV/AIDS treatment. Results: Among childbearing-aged women, 58.6% (95% confidence interval, 57.8-59.3%) correctly stated that treatments exist to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Correct knowledge was higher among those who were black (63.6% (61.8-65.4%)), were college graduates (65.8% (64.7-66.9%)) and had been tested for HIV (63.6% (62.7-64.5%)). Among pregnant women, 64.7% (61.6-67.8) knew of treatments. A much greater percentage were knowlegeable of treatments to help HIV infected persons live longer (87.6% (87.0-88.1%)). Conclusions: A relatively high percentage of childbearing-aged women were unaware of the use of antiretroviral interventions to prevent perinatal transmission. Even in population groups with the highest awareness, one-third did not know about treatments. Public health and clinician efforts should focus on increasing knowledge in this area as one way to help achieve universal prenatal HIV testing in the United States.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about
• *the need for educating women about the availability of treatment for preventing mother to child HIV transmission MTCT).
• * current state and US level of knowledge about MTCT treatment
• *the need to reduce barriers in improving knowledge

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Perinatal Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.