Quality of Life, Optimism/Pessimism, and Knowledge and Attitudes Toward HIV Screening Among Pregnant Women in Ghana

• Published in: Women's health issues 2008-07, Vol.18 (4), p.301-309
• Main Authors: Moyer, Cheryl A., MPH, Ekpo, Geraldine, BS, Calhoun, Cecilia L., BA, Greene, Jonathan, BS, Naik, Sujata, MPH, Sippola, Emily, BA, Stern, David T., MD, PhD, Adanu, Richard M., FWACS, MPH, Koranteng, Isaac O., BSc, MB, ChB, Kwawukume, Enyonam Yao, MBBS, Anderson, Frank J., MD, MPH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Female; Ghana - epidemiology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - psychology; Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Mass Screening - psychology; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - prevention & control; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - psychology; Quality of Life; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1049-3867; 1878-4321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2008.02.001

Objective We sought to explore optimism/pessimism, knowledge of HIV, and attitudes toward HIV screening and treatment among Ghanaian pregnant women. Method Pregnant women in Accra, Ghana, completed a self-administered questionnaire including the Life Orientation Test–Revised (LOT-R, an optimism/pessimism measure), an HIV knowledge and screening attitudes questionnaire, the Short Form 12 (SF-12, a measure of health-related quality of life [HRQOL]), and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t -tests, ANOVA, correlations, and the χ2 test. Results There were 101 participants; 28% were nulliparous. Mean age was 29.7 years, and mean week of gestation was 31.8. All women had heard of AIDS, 27.7% had been tested for HIV before this pregnancy, 46.5% had been tested during this pregnancy, and 59.4% of the sample had ever been tested for HIV. Of those not tested during this pregnancy, 64.2% were willing to be tested. Of all respondents, 89% said they would get tested if antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) were readily available and might prevent maternal-to-child transmission. Neither optimism/pessimism nor HRQOL was associated with attitudes toward HIV screening. Optimism was negatively correlated with HIV knowledge ( p = .001) and was positively correlated with having never been tested before this pregnancy ( p = .007). Conclusion The relationship between optimism/pessimism and HIV knowledge and screening behavior is worthy of further study using larger samples and objective measures of testing beyond self-report.