This study aims to describe the sociodemographic determinants associated with exposure to
Zika Virus (
ZIKV) in
pregnant women during the 2015–2016
epidemic in Salvador,
Brazil.
Methods We recruited
women who gave
birth between October 2015 and January 2016 to a
cross-sectional study at a
referral maternity hospital in Salvador,
Brazil. We collected information on their demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics, and evaluated their
ZIKV exposure using a plaque reduction
neutralization test.
Logistic regression was then used to assess the relationship between these social determinants and
ZIKV exposure status. Results We included 469
pregnant women, of whom 61% had a positive
ZIKV result.
Multivariate analysis found that lower
education (adjusted
Prevalence Rate [aPR] 1.21; 95%CI 1.04–1.35) and
food insecurity (aPR 1.17; 95%CI 1.01–1.30) were positively associated with
ZIKV exposure. Additionally, age was negatively associated with the
infection risk (aPR 0.99; 95%CI 0.97–0.998). Conclusion Eve after controlling for age, differences in key social determinants, as
education and
food security, were associated with the
risk of
ZIKV infection among
pregnant women in
Brazil. Our findings elucidate
risk factors that can be targeted by
future interventions to reduce the impact of
ZIKV infection in this
vulnerable population.