Table 1.
Demographic and psychosocial characteristics in younger versus older HIV-infected pregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa
| Demographic Characteristics | All (n=625) | 18–24 years (n=160) | ≥25 years (n=465) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Mean (SD) | 28 (5.3) | 22 (1.7) | 30 (4.3) | |
| First pregnancy, n(%) | 114 (18) | 78 (49) | 36 (8) | <0.001 |
| Married or cohabitating, n(%) | 258 (41) | 44 (28) | 214 (46) | <0.001 |
| CD4 (cells/mm3), Mean (SD) ‡ | 383 (204) | 412 (193) | 372 (207) | 0.04 |
| Viral load at initiation (log copies/mL), Mean (SD) | 3.9 (1.0) | 4.0 (0.9) | 3.9 (1.0) | 0.6 |
| HIV diagnosis during current pregnancy, n(%) | 343 (55) | 114 (71) | 229 (49) | <0.001 |
| On ART n(%) | 523 (84) | 133 (83) | 390 (84) | 0.8 |
| Time on ART (days) Mean (SD) | 20 (16) | 20 (13) | 20 (17) | 0.7 |
| Gestational Age | 0.36 | |||
| First Trimester, n(%) | 41 (7) | 13 (8) | 28 (6) | |
| Second Trimester, n(%) | 355 (57) | 95 (59) | 260 (56) | |
| Third Trimester, n(%) | 229 (37) | 52 (33) | 177 (38) | |
| Highest Level of Education, n(%) | 0.4 | |||
| Primary/some Secondary | 460 (74) | 114 (71) | 346 (74) | |
| Completed secondary/any tertiary | 165 (26) | 46 (29) | 119 (26) | |
| Employment, n(%) | ||||
| Employed (% yes) | 237 (38) | 54 (34) | 183 (39) | 0.2 |
| Full time | 145 (61) | 17 (31) | 128 (70) | <0.001 |
| Part time/Informal | 65 (27) | 17 (31) | 48 (26) | |
| School | 27 (11) | 20 (37) | 7 (4) | |
| Poverty level | 0.8 | |||
| Most disadvantaged | 226 (37) | 59 (37) | 167 (37) | |
| Moderately disadvantaged | 189 (31) | 46 (29) | 143 (32) | |
| Least disadvantaged | 192 (32) | 53 (34) | 139 (31) | |
| Psychosocial Characteristics | ||||
| Depression symptoms | ||||
| EPDS Score (Mean, SD) | 5.3 (5.3) | 6.1 (6.0) | 5.0 (5.0) | 0.03 |
| Self-harming thoughts | 36 (6) | 17 (11) | 19 (4) | 0.003 |
| Alcohol Use (AUDIT), n(%) | ||||
| Risky alcohol use (>6) | 102 (16) | 32 (20) | 70 (15) | 0.1 |
| Alcohol-related harm | 134 (21) | 42 (26) | 92 (20) | 0.09 |
|
Pregnancy Intentions (LMUP),§ Mean (SD) |
5 (3.6) | 5 (3.5) | 5 (3.6) | 0.4 |
|
Availability of Social Support,* Mean (SD) |
51 (9.9) | 51 (9.7) | 51 (10.0) | 0.6 |
|
Social Impact Scale,* Mean (SD) Total score |
15 (5.8) | 15 (5.8) | 15 (5.9) | 0.4 |
| Social Rejection | 3.5 (1.6) | 3.5 (1.6) | 3.5 (1.6) | 0.9 |
| Internalized Shame | 12 (4.7) | 11.5 (4.7) | 12 (4.7) | 0.3 |
| Intimate Partner Violence, n(%)* | ||||
| Any abuse % | 132 (21) | 40 (25) | 92 (20) | 0.2 |
| Psychological | 92 (15) | 28 (18) | 64 (14) | 0.2 |
| Physical | 96 (15) | 31 (20) | 65 (14) | 0.1 |
| Sexual | 14 (2.2) | 1 (0.5) | 13 (3) | 0.1 |
‡
Seventeen missing CD4.
*
Social Impact Scale and Intimate Partner Violence, and social support: 2 questionnaires not completed.
§
LMUP: 9 questionnaires not completed