Table 4.
Vaginal infection knowledge
| Recruitment (n=61) | Enrolment (n=70) | Total (n=131) |
|
| Median age (IQR) | 32 (27–35)* | 31 (27–35) | 31 (27–35) |
| Has heard of diseases of the vagina before n (%) | 60 (98.4) | 70 (100) | 130 (99.2) |
| Reports knowing what bacteria are before study n (%) | 5 (8.2) | 1 (1.4) | 6 (4.6) |
| Reports having heard about STIs before study n (%) | 61 (100) | 70 (100) | 131 (100) |
| If yes, spontaneously named, without probing† n (%) | |||
| HIV | 58 (95.1) | 65 (92.9) | 123 (93.9) |
| Gonorrhoea | 58 (95.1) | 65 (92.9) | 123 (93.9) |
| Syphilis | 44 (72.1) | 59 (84.3) | 103 (78.7) |
| Trichomoniasis | 38 (62.3) | 48 (68.6) | 86 (65.7) |
| Hepatitis | 3 (4.9) | 3 (4.3) | 6 (4.6) |
| Yeast infection | 0 | 3 (4.3) | 3 (2.3) |
| BV | 0 | 2 (2.9) | 2 (1.5) |
| Urinary tract infection | 1 (1.6) | 1 (1.4) | 2 (1.5) |
| Chlamydia | 0 | 1 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) |
| Herpes | 0 | 1 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) |
| HPV/cervical cancer | 1 (1.6) | 0 | 1 (0.8) |
| Reports having heard about BV before this study n (%) | 1 (1.6) | 0 | 1 (0.8) |
| Spontaneously reported reasons why women get vaginal disease, without probing† n (%) | |||
| Poor toilet hygiene | 37 (60.7) | 40 (57.1) | 77 (58.8) |
| Multiple sex partners | 28 (45.9) | 36 (51.4) | 64 (48.9) |
| After sex | 25 (41.0) | 30 (43.0) | 55 (42.0) |
| Dirty underwear | 19 (31.2) | 35 (50.0) | 54 (41.2) |
| Poor vaginal hygiene | 26 (42.6) | 22 (31.4) | 48 (36.6) |
| Poor penile hygiene of male partner(s) | 4 (6.6) | 17 (24.3) | 21 (16.0) |
| Traditional vaginal practices and washing | 3 (4.9) | 12 (17.1) | 15 (11.5) |
| New sex partner | 6 (9.8) | 3 (4.3) | 9 (6.9) |
| Use of contraception | 1 (1.6) | 3 (4.3) | 4 (3.1) |
| (Improper) use of sanitary pads or tampons | 1 (1.6) | 3 (4.3) | 4 (3.1) |
| Other | 3 (4.9)‡ | 1 (1.4)§ | 4 (3.1) |
| Cannot name any reasons | 1 (1.6) | 0 | 1 (0.8) |
| Spontaneously reported negative consequences of vaginal disease being named, without probing† n (%) | |||
| Foul smell from the vagina | 30 (49.2) | 39 (56.5) | 69 (53.1) |
| Difficulty getting pregnant | 18 (29.5) | 33 (47.8) | 51 (39.2) |
| Miscarriage | 16 (26.2) | 33 (47.8) | 49 (37.7) |
| Abnormal vaginal discharge | 12 (19.7) | 28 (40.6) | 40 (30.8) |
| Baby born too early | 16 (26.2) | 22 (31.9) | 38 (29.2) |
| Severe infection/fever of the woman | 7 (11.5) | 7 (10.1) | 14 (10.8) |
| Infection/fever of the newborn baby | 5 (8.2) | 3 (4.4) | 8 (6.1) |
| Itching | 4 (6.6) | 4 (5.8) | 8 (6.1) |
| Other consequences to the baby: being born with BV, congenital malformations and others | 3 (4.9) | 3 (4.4) | 6 (4.6) |
| Cervical cancer or tumours | 2 (3.3) | 3 (4.4) | 5 (3.8) |
| Death | 4 (6.6) | 0 | 4 (3.1) |
| HIV/STIs | 1 (1.6) | 3 (4.4) | 4 (3.1) |
| Pain during intercourse | 0 | 3 (4.4) | 3 (2.3) |
| Cannot name any consequence | 17 (27.9) | 19 (27.5) | 36 (27.7) |
*One missing value.
†Open-ended question. Totals may be more than 100%.
‡Participants report: “If you are infected with STIs”, sharing underwear and unprotected sex.
§Participant reports: vaginal medicine.
BV, bacterial vaginosis; HPV, human papilloma virus; IQR, inter-quartile range; STI, sexually transmitted infection.