HIV Status and Contraceptive Utilization among Women in Cameroon

• Published in: Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care Vol. 18; p. 2325958219826596
• Main Authors: Budhwani, Henna, Hearld, Kristine Ria, Dionne-Odom, Jodie, Manga, Simon, Nulah, Kathleen, Khan, Michelle, Welty, Thomas, Welty, Edith, Tita, Alan Thevenet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-01-2019; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Birth control; Cameroon; Contraception - statistics & numerical data; Contraceptive Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Planning Services; Female; Health problems; Health services; Higher education; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Marriage - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Monogamy; Odds Ratio; Original; Peers; Polygamy; Pregnancy; Women; Young Adult; Cameroon; Cameroon; HIV; contraception; parity; polygamy
• ISSN: 2325-9582; 2325-9574; 2325-9582
• DOI: 10.1177/2325958219826596

Objective:
We examined patterns of contraceptive utilization by HIV status among women in Cameroon, hypothesizing that women living with HIV would utilize contraception at higher rates than their HIV-negative peers.
Methods:
Deidentified, clinical data from the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (2007-2013) were analyzed (N = 8995). Frequencies compared outcomes between women living with HIV (15.1%) and uninfected women. Multivariate analyses examined associates of contraceptive utilization and desire to become pregnant.
Results:
Contraceptive utilization was associated with higher education, living with HIV, monogamy, and higher parity (P < .001). Women living with HIV had 66% higher odds of using contraceptives than their negative peers (odds ratio [OR]: 1.66, confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-1.91, P < .001). Polygamous women had 37% lower odds of using contraceptives compared to monogamous women (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.52-0.75, P < .001).
Conclusion:
Increasing contraceptive utilization in resource-constrained settings should be a priority for clinicians and researchers. Doing so could improve population health by reducing HIV transmission between partners and from mother to child.