Prevalence and associated factors of sexually transmitted infections among adolescent pregnant women at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda.
Background: Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa shoulder a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), yet data for pregnant teenagers in these settings are sparse. Objectives: The study estimated the prevalence of STI seropositivity and its associated factors, among pregnant ad...
| Publicado en: | Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health Vol. 19; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Sage Publications Inc.
12/18/2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=190402109&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 190402109 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 26334941 N9DZ jtl: Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health issn: 26334941 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 12/18/2025 vid: 19 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. place: Thousand Oaks, California artinfo: ui: 190402109 190402109 190402109 10.1177/26334941251403816 190402109 ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Prevalence and associated factors of sexually transmitted infections among adolescent pregnant women at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda. aug: au: Ochola, Henry Byamukama, Onesmus Tushabomwe-Kazooba, Charles Amwikirize, Annah Kamugisha, Anorld Ntaro, Moses Ngonzi, Joseph affil: Conceptualization, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Kabale Road, Mbarara 1410, Uganda sug: subj: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Epidemiology Sexually Transmitted Diseases Risk Factors Pregnancy in Adolescence Expectant Mothers Psychosocial Factors Referral and Consultation Hospitals Risk Assessment Human Female Adolescence Uganda Pregnancy Cross Sectional Studies Guideline Adherence HIV Infections Epidemiology Syphilis Epidemiology Hepatitis B Epidemiology HIV Infections Risk Factors Syphilis Risk Factors Hepatitis B Risk Factors Sexual Behavior Contraceptive Agents Marriage Prenatal Care Blood Specimen Collection Structured Questionnaires Confidence Intervals Univariate Statistics Multivariate Analysis Multiple Logistic Regression Odds Ratio ROC Curve Statistical Significance Data Analysis Software Descriptive Statistics Adolescent: 13-18 years Female ab: Background: Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa shoulder a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), yet data for pregnant teenagers in these settings are sparse. Objectives: The study estimated the prevalence of STI seropositivity and its associated factors, among pregnant adolescents at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), Uganda. Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study. Methods: Consecutive pregnant adolescents (10–19 years) attending the MRRH antenatal clinic or maternity ward between 1 July and 30 September 2024 were enrolled. A structured questionnaire captured socio-demographic, sexual-behavioural, obstetric, clinical and nutritional variables. Blood samples were tested for HIV (Determine™/STAT-PAK™), syphilis (Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay) and Hepatitis B (HBsAg rapid test). The composite STI outcome was seropositivity for any infection: HIV, syphilis or HBsAg. Independent associations were examined with Firth-penalised logistic regression; adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Results: Among 249 participants (median age 18 years, interquartile range 18–19), the overall prevalence of STI seropositivity was 12.1% (95% CI: 8.3–16.8). Prevalence by each STI was HIV 8.8%, syphilis 4.0% and HBV 0.4%. Multigravidae had higher odds of infection than primigravidae (aOR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.01–7.84). Having ever used a non-barrier modern contraception tripled the odds of STI (aOR 3.04, 95% CI: 1.10–8.45), whereas marriage or cohabitation reduced risk by 63% (aOR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.14–0.96). Conclusion: Nearly one in eight pregnant adolescents at MRRH were infected with HIV, syphilis or HBV, with these STIs more likely to be among multigravidae and former users of non-barrier contraception and less likely among married/cohabiting pregnant adolescents. These findings support integrating repeat HIV–syphilis testing, dual-method contraceptive counselling and targeted interventions for multigravidae into youth-friendly antenatal services to advance STI-elimination goals. Plain language summary: Sexually transmitted infections among pregnant adolescents at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Pregnancy is a big step for any girl, and it can be harder if she carries a hidden sexually transmitted infection (STI), an infection that she may not see or feel. These hidden STIs: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis and hepatitis B, can harm both mother and baby if they are not found and treated. From July to September 2024, we worked at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in south-western Uganda and obtained special information and small blood samples from 249 pregnant girls aged 10 to 19 years. We discovered that 30 of them (about one in every eight) had at least one infection: 22 had HIV, 10 had syphilis and one had hepatitis B. The likelihood of having these STIs was higher in girls who had been pregnant before compared to those who were pregnant for the first time. Girls who had ever used family-planning pills, injections or implants, methods that prevent pregnancy but do not block germs, also showed a three-times greater likelihood, possibly because condom use stopped after they changed to these methods. By contrast, girls who were married or living with one steady partner were less likely to be infected. In Uganda, most health centres test for HIV and syphilis only once, early in pregnancy, so new infections that appear later can be missed. Our findings recommend giving a second test later in pregnancy, teaching all girls to use condoms together with other family-planning methods, and paying special attention to adolescents who have been pregnant before. Finding and treating these hidden infections early will help teenage mothers deliver healthier babies and keep themselves safe for the future. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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