DETERMINANTS OF THE UPTAKE OF ANEUPLOIDY SCREENING AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: The uptake of aneuploidy screening remains very low in most low-and middle-income countries despite being a part of routine antenatal care. Objective: To determine the awareness and uptake rate of aneuploidy screening among pregnant women and factors that influence the uptake. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken at a tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 325 eligible consecutive participants with a live pregnancy from10 weeks’ gestation were enrolled into the study. The main outcome measure was the uptake of aneuploidy screening and the factors associated with screening. Results: Of the 325 participants, only 186 (57%) were aware of aneuploidy screening. Uptake rate of aneuploidy screening among the 186 participants was 39.2% (95%CI: 32.2% to 46.7%) and the only factor associated with increased uptake was a positive attitude towards screening (AOR: 4.36; 95%CI: 1.95 to 10.81, p=0.001). Only 3.76% of participants were found to have made an informed choice as regards aneuploidy screening. Conclusion: The level of awareness of aneuploidy screening among pregnant women in this setting is low.