Cross-sectional study reveals that Desire to Avoid Pregnancy scores associate with contraceptive use in women with HIV, suggesting nuanced tools can clarify family planning needs.
Key Points
To evaluate the performance of the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) scale in assessing pregnancy preferences relative to a traditional dichotomous question, and examine their relationships with contraceptive use.
Analyzed cross-sectional telephone interview data from the Chaguo Langu cohort among women living with HIV enrolled in HIV care in western Kenya between 2017 and 2020 (N=1,226).
Assessed pregnancy preferences using both the DAP scale and the standard question 'Are you trying to become pregnant within the next one year?', alongside current contraceptive use.
Conducted multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for age, marital status, and HIV treatment regimen.
Across 1,226 participants, the median DAP score was 2.94 [IQR: 1.93–3.14].
Participants reporting no desire for pregnancy within one year had significantly higher median DAP scores than those actively trying (3.0 vs. 0.9, p < 0.01), although score distributions overlapped.
Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that higher DAP scores were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of current contraceptive method use.