Health Care Providers’ Influence on HIV-Infected Women’s Beliefs and Intentions Related to AZT Therapy

This study examined how women’s relationship with their primary health care provider (PHP) and their perceptions about how effective their PHPs believe zidovudine (AZT) to be in decreasing perinatal transmission related to women’s AZT beliefs and intentions. It used a cross-sectional design to collect data from 59 HIV-infected African American women. Almost half the women (45%) had given birth since HIV diagnosis. Most of the babies born to HIV-infected mothers (87%) were seronegative. Data analysis with Pearson’s r indicated that the quality of the women’s relationship with their PHP was positively correlated to how important the PHP would be in decision making related to AZT therapy. Significant positive correlation was observed between women’s perceptions about how effective their PHPs believed AZT to be in decreasing perinatal HIV transmission and the women’s own beliefs about AZT, their intent to take AZT if pregnant, and intent to give AZT to a newborn.