Title: Effect of maternal HIV infection on child survival in Ghana.

POPLINE Document Number: 314465

Author(s):

Hong R
Banta JE
Kamau JK

Source citation:

Journal of Community Health, 2007 Feb;32(1):21-36.

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to measure the association between maternal HIV infection and infant mortality in Ghana. Using a censored synthetic cohort life table based on the birth history of 3,639 childbirths during 1999-2003 obtained from the interviews of a nationally representative sample of 5,691 women age 15-49 in 6,251 households in the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. The survey collected demographic, socioeconomic, and health data of the respondents as well as obtained voluntary counseling test for HIV infection from all eligible women. The effects of maternal HIV status and other factors on infant mortality were estimated using multivariate survival regression analysis and the results are presented as Hazard Ratios (HR) with 95% confident interval (95% CI). Children born to HIV infected mothers were three times as likely to die during infancy as those born to uninfected mothers (HR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.64, 5.50). Controlling for other factors affecting infant mortality further sharpens this relationship (HR = 3.51; 95% CI: 1.87, 6.61). Not receiving antenatal care, low birth weight, and living in households that use high pollution cooking fuels were associated with a higher risk of infant mortality. Maternal HIV status is a strong predictor of infant mortality in Ghana, independent of several other factors. The results of this study suggest that HIV/AIDS epidemic has had great impact on child well-being and child survival. This impact tends to increase as the HIV/AIDS epidemic matures and infection in adults increases. (author's)

Keywords:

Ghana
Research Report
Demographic and Health Surveys
Mothers
Children
HIV Testing
Mother-to-Child Transmission
Maternal Nutrition
Antenatal Care
Child Survival
Infant Mortality
Low Birth Weight
Health Status Indexes
Developing Countries
Africa, Western
Africa South of the Sahara
Africa
Demographic Surveys
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population
Parents
Family Relationships
Family Characteristics
Family and Household
Sociocultural Factors
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses
Examinations and Diagnoses
Medical Procedures
Medicine
Health Services
Delivery of Health Care
Health
Transmission
Infections
Diseases
Nutrition
Maternal Health Services
Maternal-Child Health Services
Primary Health Care
Survivorship
Length of Life
Mortality
Birth Weight
Body Weight
Physiology
Biology