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Shahad I Zoli,1 Maisa A Baiti,1 Atyaf A Alhazmi,1 Raud M Khormi,1 Maram A Sayegh,1 Tahani Altubayqi,1 Afnan M Darisi,1 Raffan A Alhasani,1 Saleha H Alhazmi,1 Sarah O Gharawi,1 Abdulrahman A Muhajir,2 Abdulaziz H Alhazmi1 1Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 2General Directorate of Health Affairs, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdulaziz H Alhazmi, Tel +966-7-3295000, Email abalhazmi@jazanu.edu.saBackground: Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection is one of the leading causes of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. GBS screening and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis can effectively prevent early-onset GBS disease. This study aimed to assess the awareness of the risks of GBS infection and screening in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey of 995 women aged 18– 45 in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected between January to April 2023 and included information on sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of GBS infection, and perspectives on GBS screening.Results: The response rate was 97.45%, and the mean age of the participants was 31.50 ± 9.80 years. Most were married (60.2%), had a university education (81.11%), and 59% were pregnant or had a pregnancy history. Only 23% had heard of GBS, associated with age, marital status, job, pregnancy status, awareness of GBS risk factors, and pregnancy follow-up (p < 0.05). Women most aware were students (55.9%), married (55.46%), pregnant or had a pregnancy history (51.09%), knew risk factors of GBS (38.86%), and were followed by a specialist (88.14%). Regarding GBS screening preferences, 40% preferred universal screening without consent, 31% with consent, 16% for high-risk pregnancies with consent, and 13% for high-risk pregnancies without consent.Conclusion: The study found low awareness of GBS among women residing in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Factors related to demographic details and obstetric follow-up were associated with better understanding. Most women preferred universal screening for GBS, with or without consent. Effective health education is needed to raise women’s awareness of screening benefits and risks. This education can help women make informed decisions and improve prevention and care. Future studies may evaluate healthcare providers’ awareness of GBS.Keywords: group B streptococcus, GBS screening, women’s awareness, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Objective: Self-sampling with proper instruction in 35–37 weeks' gestation is an option to clinician sampling to prevent early-onset invasive group B streptococcal disease of infants. We aimed to assess the accuracy of self-sampling and influencing factors of preference for collection method in Chinese women. Methods: We compared the screening results of self-sampling with clinician collection in a sample of 520 women in late pregnancy. We collected their demographics, clinical information and preference for collection method. A multi-nominal logistic regression model was used to measure the association between the influencing factors and these participants' preference. Results: A good agreement between the two collection methods was found with a Cohen's Kappa coefficient 0.83 (95%CI = 0.71–0.95). The prevalence of GBS infection in the two methods is statistically different in this low-risk group when self-sampling presented a better outcome in terms of detecting positive cases. Self-sampling is preferable by 20.9% of the participants. No less pain during self-sampling and age older than 35 years old was statistically related to preference for clinician collection. Conclusion: The accuracy of self-sampling is no worse than clinician collection. It could be an option for those younger than 35 years old, especially for those who report low pain threshold. Pregnant women are able to collect rectovaginal samples prior to their antenatal visit. Self-sampling followed by appropriate transportation of the sample to an advanced laboratory could eliminate the effects of local laboratory capacity. There are implications in increasing GBS screening participation in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]