Ndlangamandla, Mpumelelo2024-02-142024-02-142024https://hdl.handle.net/10539/37624A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Epidemiology to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health, Johannesburg, 2023Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is the primary intervention for preventing mother to child transmission of HIV service package. The likelihood of vertical transmission of HIV can be drastically reduced by using ART. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends ART initiation in pregnant and lactating women living with HIV regardless of WHO clinical staging and thereafter to continue combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) for life. There are some challenges in implementing the WHO recommendations in settings where many women cannot attend antenatal care services due to social or economic barriers or structural barriers and even fewer women attend postnatal care services. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of virological non-suppression among pregnant and lactating women living with HIV, to quantify the association between self-reported ART use and virological non-suppression and determine socio-demographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics associated with virological non-suppression among pregnant and lactating women living with HIV. This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data from the Swaziland HIV Incidence Survey. The primary study was a population-based survey which was nationally representative, using a cross-sectional study design conducted in 2016-2017 in the Kingdom of Eswatini employing a two-stage stratified cluster sample design. This study sample included adult women living with HIV who were either pregnant or lactating at the time of the survey. Data analysis was conducted using Stata 17. The data analysis made use of sampling weights and clustering of individuals within each enumeration area using weighted clustered logistic regression survey analysis commands in Stata. A total of 195 adult women living with HIV were included in the survey with a median age of 28 years old. Among the women, 104 (54.4%) were either married or cohabiting with someone, and 151 (71.9%) were living in a rural setting. Only 77 (38.8%) had attained primary education as their highest level of education while 122 (63.8%) were lactating. A total of 120 (62%) reported being on ARVs and 158 (81.8%) being virally suppressed. The overall virological non-suppression prevalence of 36.8% was higher than the UNAIDS target of 10% by 2020 to speed up HIV elimination. In a multivariable analysis, two risk factors remained statistically significant. Women who were aged 17 to 24 years old were almost five times more likely to be virologically non-suppressed (aOR=4.7, 95% CI 1.8 - 11.8, p=0.001) while women who did not report ARV use during pregnancy were eight times more likely to have virological non- RESEARCH REPORT (COMH7060) 320775 IV suppression (aOR=8.1, 95% CI 3.0 - 21.8, p<0.001). Maternal age was dichotomised with the younger group compared to the older group (17-24 years, vs 25+ years). An additional analysis excluding self-reported ARV use at pregnancy found that virological non-suppression was associated with maternal age (OR=5.5, 95% CI 2.3 – 13.7, p<0.001) and number of sexual partners in the previous 12 months (OR=7.9, 95% CI 1.6 – 40.5, p=0.013). Maternal age was dichotomised with the younger group compared to the older group (17-24 years, vs 25+ years) The study found that virological non-suppression was associated with maternal age and ARV use at pregnancy. The additional analysis also found a strong association with maternal age and number of sexual partners the women reported having in the previoustwelve months. However, the primary study was not powered to detect differences in virological non-suppression among our population of interest. The sample size was also small, which limited the ability to investigate other possible risk factors. To help the country address the identified gaps, I would recommend the scale up of the DREAMS program and strict following of HIV guidelines to actively monitor viral load and ART uptake during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, messaging around avoidance of multiple sexual partners should be strengthenedenAntiretroviral treatmentMother to child transmissionHIV service packageSDG-3: Good health and well-beingDissertation