Knowledge and acceptability of Chlamydia trachomatis screening among pregnant women and their partners; a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundChlamydia trachomatis infections in pregnancy can cause maternal disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes and neonatal disease, which is why chlamydia screening during pregnancy has been advocated. The effectiveness of a screening program depends on the knowledge of health care professionals, women and partners and the acceptability for screening of the target population. We assessed the knowledge of chlamydia infection among pregnant women and their partners in the Netherlands, their attitudes towards testing, and their experiences of being offered a chlamydia test. In addition, we evaluated the association between participants’ background characteristics and knowledge of chlamydia.MethodsPregnant women aged ≤ 30 years and their partners (regardless of their age) attending one of the participating primary midwifery care practices in the Netherlands were invited to participate. All participants completed a questionnaire, pregnant women provided a vaginal swab and partners provided a urine sample to test for C. trachomatis.ResultsIn total, 383 pregnant women and 282 partners participated in the study of whom 1.9% women and 2.6% partners tested chlamydia positive. Participants had high levels of awareness (92.8%) of chlamydial infection. They were knowledgeable about the risk of chlamydia infection; median knowledge score was 9.0 out of 12.0. Lower knowledge scores were found among partners (p-value <0.001), younger aged (p-value 0.02), non-western origin (p-value <0.001), low educational level (p-value <0.001), and no history of sexually transmitted infections (p-value <0.001). In total, 78% of respondents indicated that when pregnant women are tested for chlamydia, their partners should also be tested; 54% believed that all women should routinely be tested. Pregnant women more often indicated than partners that testing partners for chlamydial infection was not necessary (p-value <0.001). The majority of pregnant women (56.2%) and partners (59.2%) felt satisfied by being offered the test during antenatal care.ConclusionPregnant women and their partners were knowledgeable about chlamydial infection, found testing, both pregnant women and their partners, for chlamydia acceptable and not stigmatizing.

Prevalencia de Chlamydia trachomatis en embarazadas durante el primer trimestre en una institución privada de la ciudad de Córdoba

“…Cuando las poblaciones presentaron un promedio de edad inferior a los 25 años, las prevalencias observadas fueron significativamente más altas que las de los grupos de mayor edad. Así, nuestro trabajo coincide con los de Pereboom M et al (1,9%) (20) y Piñero L et al (1%) (21) . En estos reportes, la edad promedio fue superior a los 25 años.…”

Analysis of Public Policies for Sexuality Education in Germany and The Netherlands

“…For example, in a U.S. study of sexually experienced 15-to 24-year-old females, 7.1% were found to be positive for chlamydia (Forhan et al, 2009). This compares with the findings of a population-based, representative sample of females the same age in Germany who had a prevalence rate of 2.2% (Haar et al, 2013) and the findings of a Netherlands study of pregnant women under 30 years old who had a 1.9% prevalence rate (Pereboom et al, 2014). Although teens in the United States and Europe have similar levels of sexual activity, teens in Germany and The Netherlands are much more likely to use contraceptives and, therefore, have substantially lower pregnancy and STI rates (Santelli, Sandfort, & Orr, 2005).…”

“…Noteworthy, however; is that both The Netherlands and Germany are becoming more diverse. For example, in both countries the more at-risk populations for STIs are those of lower socio-economic status and of nonWestern origin (Op de Coul, Warning, & Koedijk, 2014;Pereboom et al, 2014).…”

Chlamydial conjunctivitis in newborns: Case report and screening opportunities

“…Especially in women, the actual prevalence of CT infections is greatly affected by the large number of asymptomatic cases [ 2 ] . In pregnant women, these fi gures vary from 3.2 % to 5.9 %, with higher rates among teenagers (14 %) [ 9 ] . In pregnant women, these fi gures vary from 3.2 % to 5.9 %, with higher rates among teenagers (14 %) [ 9 ] .…”

“…In this context, prevalence rates between 11.4 % and > 20 % have been reported in high-risk individuals; 3-9.5 %, among asymptomatic patients [ 8 ] . In pregnant women, these fi gures vary from 3.2 % to 5.9 %, with higher rates among teenagers (14 %) [ 9 ] .…”