| Title | The Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project HIV and Pregnancy Study: overview and cohort description. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2002 |
| Authors | Ethier, Kathleen A., Jeannette R. Ickovics, Isabel M. Fernandez, Tracey E. Wilson, Rachel A. Royce, and Linda J. Koenig |
| Corporate Authors | Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project Group |
| Journal | Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) |
| Volume | 117 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pagination | 137-47 |
| Date Published | 2002 Mar-Apr |
| ISSN | 0033-3549 |
| Keywords | Adult, Control Groups, Depression, Female, HIV Infections, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Longitudinal Studies, Maternal Health Services, Patient Compliance, Poverty, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious, Pregnant Women, Prospective Studies, Risk-Taking, Sexual Behavior, Social Support, Stress, Psychological, United States |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: The HIV and Pregnancy Study of the Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project is a prospective, longitudinal, multisite study established to: (a) assess the implementation of Public Health Service guidelines regarding the prevention of perinatal HIV transmission and (b) evaluate the psychosocial consequences of HIV infection among pregnant women. A distinctive aspect of the study is the use of an HIV-negative comparison group. This article describes the methodology of the study and baseline characteristics of the study sample. Methods and Results. HIV-infected (n = 336) and uninfected (n = 298) pregnant women were enrolled from four geographic areas: Connecticut, North Carolina, Brooklyn, NY, and Miami, FL. The study included three structured face-to-face interviews from late pregnancy to six months postpartum for HIV-infected and uninfected women. Additional self-reports of medication adherence were collected for the HIV-infected participants, and the medical records of infected mothers and their infants were reviewed. Electronic monitoring of medication adherence was conducted for a subset of the infected women. The groups were successfully matched on self-reported characteristics, including HIV-risk behaviors. More than half of the uninfected women reported a high-risk sexual partner. Baseline comparisons indicated that both the HIV-infected and uninfected women had high levels of depressive symptoms, stress, and recent negative life events. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a unique description of the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of a population of low-income women. The results of this study suggest that HIV infection is one of many stressors faced by the women in this study. |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10995-010-0650-3 |
| Alternate Journal | Public Health Rep |
