Knowledge and Awareness of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Among Women
Jiyeon Jeon,1,2Marcia Victor,3Stuart P. Adler,4Abigail Arwady,5Gail Demmler,6Karen Fowler,7Johanna Goldfarb,8Harry Keyserling,9Mehran Massoudi,1Kristin Richards,6Stephanie A. S. Staras,1,2and Michael J. Cannon1,2
Received02 Aug 2006
Accepted13 Sept 2006
Published27 Dec 2006
Abstract
Background. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of disabilities in children, yet the general public appears to have little awareness of CMV. Methods. Women were surveyed about newborn infections at 7
different geographic locations. Results. Of the 643 women surveyed, 142 (22%) had heard of congenital CMV. Awareness increased with increasing levels of education (P<.0001). Women who had worked as a healthcare professional had a higher
prevalence of awareness of CMV than had other women (56% versus 16%, P <.0001). Women who were aware of CMV were most likely to have heard about it from a healthcare
provider (54%), but most could not correctly identify modes of
CMV transmission or prevention. Among common causes of birth defects and
childhood illnesses, women's awareness of CMV ranked last. Conclusion. Despite its large public health
burden, few women had heard of congenital CMV, and even fewer were aware of
prevention strategies.
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