Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence and Prenatal Alcohol Use among Women Who Are Pregnant with HIV in South Africa

Yukiko Washio, Felicia A. Browne, Jacqueline Ndirangu, Tracy L. Kline and Wendee M. Wechsberg
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Yukiko Washio: Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Felicia A. Browne: Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Jacqueline Ndirangu: Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Tracy L. Kline: Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Wendee M. Wechsberg: Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-5

Abstract: This brief report emphasizes the need to focus on women with HIV who are pregnant who use alcohol or other drugs. A recently completed implementation science study tested a gender-focused behavioral intervention, the Women’s Health CoOp (WHC), to improve antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and reduce alcohol use among women with HIV. The study identified 33 participants who had a positive pregnancy test result at the baseline assessment, of whom five participants remained pregnant during the 6-month duration of the study. Of the 33 pregnant participants at the baseline assessment, 55% reported past-month alcohol use, with 27% reporting a history of physical abuse and 12% reporting a history of sexual abuse. The five women who remained pregnant at 6 months showed improved ART adherence and reduced prenatal alcohol use. The gender-focused WHC intervention shows promise as a cost-effective, sustainable, behavioral intervention to address these intersecting syndemic issues. Future research should focus on identifying the needs of women with HIV who are pregnant who use alcohol or other drugs and developing tailored evidence-based behavioral interventions such as the WHC for preventing FASD in addition to improving ART adherence in this key population of women and reducing the economic burden on society.

Keywords: ART adherence; prenatal alcohol use; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; brief behavioral intervention; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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