An Assessment on Pregnant Women's Utilization of and Attitude towards Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Service: The Case of Gondar Town

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Date

2008-07

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Voluntmy counseling and HIV testing for pregnant women is a starting pOint for instituting an MTCT prevention program. The objective of this study was to assess pregnant women's utilization of and attitude towards voluntmy HIV counseling and testing service. A crosssectional study design was used in which data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered in a face to face interviews. The study was conducted in Gondar town at two ilospitals and one health center, namely, Gondar University hospital, Defense hospital and Gonder health center. The study sample comprised of 176 pregnant women aged from 18 to 38 years. It was found that most of the respondents had good knowledge of mother to child transmission of HIV and its prevention; and voluntmy HIV counseling and testing service. Similarly, most of them had a positive altitude towards Voluntmy HIV counseling and testing service. However, most (93.18%) of them had never used voluntary HIV counseling and testing service because of the presence of different factors. Except age other variables (level of education, occupational status and marital slatus) had no significant relationship with utilization of VCT service at 0.05 level of significance. The study indicated that good knowledge about MTCT and VCT; and positive attitude towards VCT did not contribute to pregnant women's utilization of VCT service.

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Pregnant Women's Utilization

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