Prevention of mother-to-child transmission screening among pregnant women in southern Ethiopia from the perspective of the current WHO recommendation

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess HIV screening for prevention of mother-to-child transmission service utilization and associated factors among pregnant women in Hadiya zone, Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: The study was conducted in a community setting and was cross-sectional with a multistage sampling technique. A total of 613 women were selected randomly from 29 kebeles (the smallest administrative unit next to the district). Data were collected using a standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire. After being coded, reviewed, and entered into Epi-data, the data were exported to SPSS Version 21. Frequencies, percentages, graphs, and means and standard deviations were used to show descriptive data. In bivariate analysis, a p-value of 0.25 was utilized to identify candidate variables for multivariable logistic regression analysis. The statistical significance level was established at 0.05, and the strength of the association was measured using an adjusted odds ratio. RESULTS: A total of 613 pregnant women out of 630 who were eligible, were included in our study. Among them, 276 (45%; 95% CI: 41.1–48.8) were tested for HIV. HIV screening was associated with secondary and higher maternal educational level (AOR = 5.01, 95% CI: (3.08–8.16)), number of antenatal care visits four and higher (AOR = 4.25, 95% CI: 2.41–7.51), distance from health facility (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.24–3.101), and male partner involvement (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.31–2.69). CONCLUSION: Less than half of the pregnant women included in our study had been tested for HIV; which was quite lower than the national requirement that every pregnant woman be tested during a visit. Only those who had a higher level of education, who regularly took antenatal care, who were not far away from the health facility, and whose partner was involved in antenatal care, were more susceptible to being tested. Thus, actions such as female education and increasing accessibility of the service should be prioritized.