Antenatal screening for HIV: Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of pregnant women. Analysis of current practices and the impact of setting up an informative brochure

Objectives. - To assess the impact of an information leaflet on the behavior and knowledge of pregnant women about the risks of HIV infection during pregnancy. Patients and methods. - Comparative prospective study conducted in two phases from March 1 to September 30, 2007 on patients presenting for the first time in antenatal care at the Maternity Hospital of Tours (n=539). During the first phase, only a self-questionnaire was given during the second an informative brochure has been attached to the questionnaire. Results. - Currently 25.1% of pregnant women have not made a test during their pregnancy. This rate decreases to 12.9% when the test is routinely offered. It falls to 8.2% with the introduction of an informative brochure. The test was imposed in 28.7% of patients. Some risks of transmission of HIV, including those specific to pregnancy, are undervalued. A negative test before the pregnancy is the main reason for refusal of antenatal screening. A high level of education was the only risk factor identified for refusal. They are better informed as shown by the higher rate of correct answers about the risks of HIV transmission and antenatal screening. We hypothesize that the women who pursued graduate studies evaluate the risk of infection before accepting or refusing the test. Conclusion. - The study shows that the distribution of an informative brochure on advanced prenatal screening, increased the number of women performing the test and improved their knowledge about risks of transmission, especially from mother to the child. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.