HIV Knowledge and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Pregnant Couples in South Africa: The PartnerPlus Project

Villar-Loubet, Olga; Cook, Ryan; Chakhtoura, Nahida; Peltzer, Karl; Weiss, Stephen M.; Shikwane, Molatelo Elisa

doi:10.1007/s10461-012-0360-5

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In addition, health education should address misconceptions about the effects of antiretrovirals. In this study HIV knowledge was not found to be associated with HIV risk behaviour, unlike in a previous study in South Africa [39]. …”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 95%

Sexual HIV risk behaviour and associated factors among pregnant women in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Peltzer

Mlambo

2013

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundThe HIV risk increases during pregnancy. The elevated risk of HIV acquisition in pregnant women may be explained by behavioural and other factors. The aim of this study was to assess sexual HIV risk behaviour and its associated factors among pregnant women in Mpumalanga, South Africa.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 1 502 pregnant women (age range 18–47 years, mean age 26.6 years, standard deviation (SD) 6.1, and the mean gestational age was 6.5 months (SD 1.6). Antenatal women were selected, using systematic sampling from 63 primary care clinics and community health centres in Nkangala District. Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used.ResultsThe majority (63%) of the participants had never used a condom with their primary sexual partner in the past 3 months, 60% were not aware of the HIV status of their sexual partner, 7.6% had a casual sexual partner in the past 3 months, 20% had two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months and 17.3% reported to have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (other than HIV) in the past 12 months. The various HIV risk behaviours were predicted, by being single and alcohol use for multiple sexual partners; by fewer antenatal visits, being HIV negative and not having used alcohol for lack of condom use; by being HIV positive, having experienced physical partner violence and psychological distress for having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (other than HIV); and by lower education, unplanned pregnancy, non-antenatal care attendance by expectant father, the belief that antiretrovirals can cure HIV and being HIV positive for having a partner with HIV positve or unknown status.ConclusionHigh levels of sexual HIV risk behaviour were found during pregnancy. Pregnant women need to be informed of their increased risk of HIV and the importance of sexual HIV risk reduction including the use of condoms throughout pregnancy.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 95%

Sexual HIV risk behaviour and associated factors among pregnant women in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Peltzer

Mlambo

2013

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…Misconceptions around serodiscordance are well-documented in South Africa (83,84), and commonly lead to the practice of testing by proxy (85), which precludes opportunities to reduce sexual risk-taking that accompanies awareness of serodiscordant status (86). Other concerning knowledge gaps identified included that almost half of women reported that a woman is protected from HIV if her partner is circumcised.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Periconception HIV Risk Behavior Among Men and Women Reporting HIV-Serodiscordant Partners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

et al. 2015

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HIV-infected men and women who choose to conceive risk infecting their partners. To inform safer conception programs we surveyed HIV risk behavior prior to recent pregnancy amongst South African, HIV-infected women (209) and men (82) recruited from antenatal and antiretroviral clinics, respectively, and reporting an uninfected or unknown-HIV-serostatus pregnancy partner. All participants knew their HIV-positive serostatus prior to the referent pregnancy. Only 11% of women and 5% of men had planned the pregnancy; 40% of women and 27% of men reported serostatus disclosure to their partner before conception. Knowledge of safer conception strategies was low. Around two-thirds reported consistent condom use, 41% of women and 88% of men reported antiretroviral therapy, and a third of women reported male partner circumcision prior to the referent pregnancy. Seven women (3%) and two men (2%) reported limiting sex without condoms to peak fertility. None reported sperm washing or manual insemination. Safer conception behaviors including HIV-serostatus disclosure, condom use, and ART at the time of conception were not associated with desired pregnancy. In light of low pregnancy planning and HIV-serostatus disclosure, interventions to improve understandings of serodiscordance and motivate mutual HIV-serostatus disclosure and pregnancy planning are necessary first steps before couples or individuals can implement specific safer conception strategies.

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“…Prior research among high school students in Cape Town found that knowledge regarding how to use a condom and how STIs are transmitted directly predicted condom use at last sexual occasion (Eggers, Aaro, Bos, Mathews, & de Vries, 2013). Furthermore, Villar-Loubet et al (Villar-Loubet et al, 2013) found that HIV-related knowledge mediated the effects of an HIV intervention on consistent condom use. Such findings suggest that HIV knowledge may be an important predictor of sexual risk behavior in the South African context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV testing is associated with increased knowledge and reductions in sexual risk behaviours among men in Cape Town, South Africa

Scott-Sheldon

Carey

et al. 2013

African Journal of AIDS Research

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HIV testing benefits those who test positive, allowing them to receive treatment but the benefits for those who test negative remain controversial. We evaluated the impact of testing on HIV knowledge and sexual risk among men in South Africa. Men were recruited from townships outside Cape Town and completed a survey that assessed testing history, knowledge, and sexual behaviors. Among the 820 participants, 516 (63%) reported being tested (82% tested negative, 6% tested positive, and 12% unknown). Compared to those who had never been tested for HIV, men who tested for HIV were more knowledgeable about HIV transmission but did not differ on sexual risk behavior. Knowledge moderated the effect of testing on sexual risk such that men reported fewer sexual partners (IRR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.84, 0.98) and fewer unprotected anal sex events (IRR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.66, 1.00) if they had been tested for HIV and were knowledgeable about HIV transmission. For men testing HIV-negative, knowledge predicted fewer sexual risk behaviors. Having been tested for HIV is associated with enhanced knowledge, which moderates sexual risk behavior among South African men living in Cape Town. Results suggest that HIV testing may increase knowledge and lead to reductions in sexual risk even when results are negative.

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HIV Knowledge and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Pregnant Couples in South Africa: The PartnerPlus Project

Cited by 28 publications

References 26 publications

Sexual HIV risk behaviour and associated factors among pregnant women in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Sexual HIV risk behaviour and associated factors among pregnant women in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Periconception HIV Risk Behavior Among Men and Women Reporting HIV-Serodiscordant Partners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

HIV testing is associated with increased knowledge and reductions in sexual risk behaviours among men in Cape Town, South Africa

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