Educating women about congenital cytomegalovirus: assessment of health education materials through a web-based survey

Abstract

BackgroundCongenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection in the U.S. and can result in permanent disabilities, such as hearing and vision loss, intellectual disability, and psychomotor and language impairments. Women can adopt prevention behaviors in an attempt to reduce their exposure to CMV. Currently, few women are familiar with CMV. To increase awareness of CMV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed draft health education materials. The purpose of this study was to pilot test two health education materials to gauge their appeal and to determine if they increase knowledge about CMV and motivate audiences to seek additional information on CMV and adopt CMV prevention behaviors.MethodsAfrican-American (n = 404) and Caucasian women (n = 405), who had a young child and were either pregnant or planning a pregnancy, were recruited to participate in a 15-minute web survey. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of two CMV health education materials, either a factsheet or video. Pre and post survey measures were used to assess changes in knowledge of CMV and motivation to adopt prevention behaviors. We also examined audience preferences regarding materials and motivation.ResultsCMV knowledge score increased significantly after presentation of either the video or factsheet (from 3.7 out of 10 to 9.1 out of 10, p <0.001). The average materials appeal score was high, with a mean of 3.6 on a four-point scale, indicating women responded very positively to both materials. Regression analyses indicated that appeal, message involvement (e.g., information seeking, discussing with others), post materials knowledge score, and viewing the video (vs. factsheet) were significantly positively associated with increased support for CMV prevention behaviors.ConclusionsOverall, we found that the health education materials improved women’s knowledge of CMV and encouraged them to adopt prevention behaviors. Given the low awareness levels among women currently, these findings suggest that appropriate education materials have the potential to greatly increase knowledge of CMV.As women become more knowledgeable about CMV and transmission routes, we expect they will be more likely to adopt prevention behaviors, thereby reducing their risk of CMV infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12905-014-0144-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Child Care Provider Awareness and Prevention of Cytomegalovirus and Other Infectious Diseases

“…This is particularly applicable for parents who kiss their children on the lips, share cups and utensils, and engage in other similar behaviors. Recent research by Cannon et al (2014) indicates that viral loads of CMV are higher in the saliva than the urine of shedding children. This means that exposure to saliva rather than urine may be a greater risk to contracting CMV.…”

“…Studies show that child care workers can effectively reach parents with health messages (Croft et al 2007). Exposure to simple educational materials can increase knowledge and awareness of CMV among women (Price et al 2014). Although the emphasis on reducing CMV infection has been on improving hand hygiene, communication approaches that focus on reducing the sharing of saliva is warranted.…”

State of knowledge concerrning congenital cmv infection among pregnant women and those who plan pregnancy

“…Jednakże równie częstym zachowaniem było całowanie dzieci w usta (codzienna praktyka 54,2% kobiet) i dzielenie jedzenia oraz picia z dziećmi (każdego dnia robiło to 29,6% kobiet, a nigdy -tylko 9,8%). Interesująco przedstawiają się również wyniki innych badań ankietowych prowadzonych w USA w dwóch grupach kobiet w wieku rozrodczym (I: Afroamerykanki, n = 404; II: kobiety rasy kaukaskiej, n = 405), posiadających małe dziecko i będących w ciąży lub planujących ją w najbliższym czasie [48]. Z odpowiedzi na pytania ankietowe dotyczące codziennych zachowań w opiece nad dzieckiem wynikało, że ponad połowa kobiet w obu grupach całuje dzieci w usta, ok. 30% kobiet w obu grupach dzieli jedzenie z dziećmi każdego dnia, a ok. 20% codziennie używa tych samych naczyń co dzieci.…”

“…[48], w których analiza poziomu wiedzy przed i po prezentacji materiałów edukacyjnych wykazała znaczący wzrost odsetka kobiet prawidłowo odpowiadających na pytania dotyczące zakażenia CMV. Przykładowo, na pytanie, czy źródłem zakażenia CMV mogą być małe dzieci, przed obejrzeniem materiałów edukacyjnych "tak" odpowiedziało 62% kobiet, a po obejrzeniu -95%.…”

Congenital Cytomegalovirus: a “Now” Problem—No Really, Now

“…Yet, it is now 2016 and the availability of a CMV vaccine is at least 6 to 10 years away. It is clear that part of the problem lies in the public perception and lack of awareness of CMV (3,4). Trying to shed light on this perception, some have asked "What if CMV caused a rash?"…”