Implementation of HIV Retesting During Pregnancy and Postpartum in Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: HIV retesting during pregnancy/postpartum can identify incident maternal HIV infection and prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT). Guidelines recommend retesting HIV-negative peripartum women, but data on implementation are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Kenya to measure the prevalence of maternal HIV retesting in programs and HIV incidence. METHODS: Programmatic HIV retesting data was abstracted from maternal and child health booklets among women enrolled in a cross-sectional and/or seeking services during pregnancy, delivery, or 9 months postpartum in Kenya between January 2017 and July 2019. Retesting was defined as any HIV test conducted by MTCT programs after the initial antenatal care test or conducted as part of retesting policies at/after delivery for women not tested during pregnancy. Poisson generalized linear regression was used to identify correlates of programmatic retesting among women enrolled at 9 months postpartum. RESULTS: Among 5,894 women included in the analysis, 3,124 only had data abstracted and 2,770 were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Overall prevalence of programmatic HIV retesting was higher at 6 weeks (65%) and 9 months postpartum (72%) than in pregnancy (32%), at delivery (23%) and 6 months postpartum (28%) (P<.001 for all comparisons). HIV incidence was 0.72/100 person-years (PY) (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.43,1.22) in pregnancy and 0.23/100 PY (95% CI=0.09, 0.62) postpartum (incidence rate ratio: 3.09; 95% CI=0.97, 12.90; P=.02). CONCLUSION: Maternal retest coverage was high at 6 weeks and 9 months postpartum but low during pregnancy. Strategies to ensure high retesting coverage and detect women with incident maternal HIV infection are needed.

Evaluation of a two-way SMS messaging strategy to reduce neonatal mortality: rationale, design and methods of the Mobile WACh NEO randomised controlled trial in Kenya.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, approximately half of the estimated 6.3 million under-5 deaths occur in the neonatal period (within the first 28 days of life). Kenya ranks among countries with the highest number of neonatal deaths, at 20 per 1000 live births. Improved identification and management of neonates with potentially life-threatening illness is critical to meet the WHO's target of ≤12 neonatal deaths per 1000 live births by 2035. We developed an interactive (two-way) short messaging service (SMS) communication intervention, Mobile Solutions for Neonatal Health (Mobile women's and children's health (WACh) NEO), focused on the perinatal period. Mobile WACh NEO sends automated tailored SMS messages to mothers during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks post partum. Messages employ the Information-Motivation-Behaviour Skills framework to promote (1) maternal implementation of essential newborn care (ENC, including early, exclusive breast feeding, cord care and thermal care), (2) maternal identification of neonatal danger signs and care-seeking, and (3) maternal social support and self-efficacy. Participants can also send SMS to the study nurse, enabling on-demand remote support. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We describe a two-arm unblinded randomised controlled trial of the Mobile WACh NEO intervention. We will enrol 5000 pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy at 4 facilities in Kenya and randomise them 1:1 to receive interactive SMS or no SMS (control), and conduct follow-up visits at 2 and 6 weeks post partum. Neonatal mortality will be compared between arms as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include care-seeking, practice of ENC and psychosocial health. Exploratory analysis will investigate associations between maternal mental health, practice of ENC, care-seeking and SMS engagement. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received ethical approval from the University of Washington (STUDY00006395), Women and Infants Hospital (1755292-1) and Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi (P310/04/2019). All participants will provide written informed consent. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04598165.

"Spoiled" girls: Understanding social influences on adolescent contraceptive decision-making in Kenya.

OBJECTIVES: Despite significant public health emphasis on unintended pregnancy prevention among adolescent girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a gap in understanding how adolescents' own reproductive priorities and the social influences on their decision-making align and compete. We examined the social context of contraceptive decision-making among Kenyan female adolescents. METHODS: Using community-based sampling, we conducted 40 in-depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions among sexually-active or partnered adolescent girls and young women aged 15-19 in the Nyanza region of Kenya. We analyzed the data in Dedoose using an inductive, grounded theory approach, and developed a conceptual model from the data illustrating social influences on adolescent contraceptive decision-making. RESULTS: Participants viewed adolescent pregnancy as unacceptable, and described severe social, financial, and health consequences of unintended pregnancy, including abortion under unsafe conditions. Yet, their contraceptive behaviors often did not reflect their desire to delay pregnancy. Contraceptive decision-making was influenced by multiple social factors, centering on the intersecting stigmas of adolescent female sexuality, pregnancy, and contraceptive use, as well as unequal power in sexual relationships. To prioritize pregnancy prevention, adolescents must navigate conflicting social norms and power dynamics, and put their perceived future fertility at risk. CONCLUSIONS: Contraceptive decision-making among Kenyan female adolescents is strongly influenced by opposing social norms within families, communities, and sexual relationships, which compel them to risk stigma whether they use a contraceptive method or become pregnant as adolescents. These findings put into perspective adolescents' seemingly incongruent pregnancy preferences and contraceptive behaviors. Interventions to address adolescent unintended pregnancy should focus on supporting adolescent decision-making agency, addressing fertility-related contraceptive concerns, and promoting innovative contraceptive access points rather than increasing contraceptive prevalence.

A risk scoring tool for predicting Kenyan women at high risk of contraceptive discontinuation.

OBJECTIVE: We developed and validated a pragmatic risk assessment tool for identifying contraceptive discontinuation among Kenyan women who do not desire pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: Within a prospective cohort of contraceptive users, participants were randomly allocated to derivation (n = 558) and validation (n = 186) cohorts. Risk scores were developed by selecting the Cox proportional hazards model with the minimum Akaike information criterion. Predictive performance was evaluated using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: The overall contraceptive discontinuation rate was 36.9 per 100 woman-years (95% confidence interval [CI] 30.3-44.9). The predictors of discontinuation selected for the risk score included use of a short-term method or copper intrauterine device (vs. injectable or implant), method continuation or switch (vs. initiation), < 9 years of completed education, not having a child aged < 6 months, and having no spouse or a spouse supportive of family planning (vs. having a spouse who has unsupportive or uncertain attitudes towards family planning). AUC at 24 weeks was 0.76 (95% CI 0.64-0.87) with 70.0% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity at the optimal cut point in the derivation cohort. Discontinuation was 3.8-fold higher among high- vs. low-risk women (95% CI 2.33-6.30). AUC was 0.68 (95% CI 0.47-0.90) in the validation cohort. A simplified score comprising routinely collected variables demonstrated similar performance (derivation-AUC: 0.73 [95% CI 0.60-0.85]; validation-AUC: 0.73 [95% CI 0.51-0.94]). Positive predictive value in the derivation cohort was 31.4% for the full and 28.1% for the simplified score. CONCLUSIONS: The risk scores demonstrated moderate predictive ability but identified large proportions of women as high risk. Future research is needed to improve sensitivity and specificity of a clinical tool to identify women at high risk for experiencing method-related challenges. IMPLICATIONS: Contraceptive discontinuation is a major driver of unmet contraceptive need globally. Few tools exist for identifying women who may benefit most from additional support in order to meet their contraceptive needs and preferences. This study developed and assessed the validity of a provider-focused risk prediction tool for contraceptive discontinuation among Kenyan women using modern contraception. High rates of early discontinuation observed in this study emphasize the necessity of investing in efforts to develop new contraceptive technologies and stronger delivery systems to better align with women's needs and preferences for voluntary family planning.