Understanding factors that influence pregnancy self-test use among women in western Kenya: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

University of Washington Abstract Understanding factors that influence pregnancy self-test use among Women In Western Kenya: A qualitative analysis Christina Nicole Mazumder Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Melissa Mugambi Department of Global Health Despite increasing evidence that women who use pregnancy self-tests are more likely to present for antenatal care early in pregnancy, approximately 22% of women attending antenatal care in western Kenya use a pregnancy self-test to confirm their pregnancies. From April 2021 – to July 2021, we interviewed 48 women from four antenatal care clinics in Homa Bay and Siaya counties to understand why women do not use pregnancy tests in early pregnancy. Women had a median age of 28 years (IQR: 24.5, 32.5) and a median of 2 pregnancies (IQR: 1.5, 3.0). Barriers to pregnancy self-test use included mistrust of the accuracy of pregnancy self-tests, unawareness of pregnancy self-tests and their detection capabilities, and test cost. Efforts to employ trusted community advisors to educate women about pregnancy self-tests, how they work, and their benefits, and developing more affordable options to make pregnancy self-tests widely accessible could increase the use of pregnancy self-tests.