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Objectives: To explore African American mothers' and daughters' practices and influences related to vaginal douching., Design and Sample: Our overall study used a sequential mixed-method design with 3 phases. Phase 1, the focus of this report, used grounded theory methods and in-depth, semistructured individual interviews. Two generations of African American girls and women: 24 girls ("daughters") aged 14-18 and 17 women ("mothers" or "mother figures") aged 22-43, recruited from 1 adolescent health clinic in Baltimore, MD., Measures: In-depth interviews were taped and transcribed and data analysis used the constant comparison method., Results: Daughters were much less likely to douche or to have been exposed to douching information than mothers. Many mothers and daughters were influenced by health care providers and/or family members to not initiate, to decrease, or to stop douching. Women who currently douche often do so because of the perception of improved smell and cleanliness around menstruation and sexual intercourse., Conclusions: These data indicate that although some women continue to believe that vaginal douching has therapeutic value, others have been influenced to stop or not start douching by family and health care providers. Health care providers should continue efforts to educate patients on the risks of vaginal douching.

Introduction: Vaginal douching is a widespread practice among American women. Little research has been done examining variation in the practice or identifying risk factors., Methods: We collected data on douching, as well as hypothesized predictors of vaginal douching, as part of a cohort study on preterm birth. African-American women residing in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled if they received prenatal care or delivered at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institution. Interview data were collected on 872 women between March 2001 and July 2004, with a response rate of 68%. Logistic regression analysis was selected to identify factors associated with douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy., Results: Almost two thirds of women reported ever douching and more than two thirds of those women reported douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy. Variation was seen in the practice of douching with regard to frequency as well as technique. After adjusting for several confounders, prenatal enrollment (odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29, 2.53), more unmet needs for time for "non-essentials" (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.27, 2.63), smoking in the year prior to the birth (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.22, 2.60), and age >19 years (OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.36, 4.97) were significant predictors of douching in the 6 months prior to pregnancy., Discussion: We identified considerable heterogeneity in the practice of vaginal douching in a cohort of low income African-American women., Conclusions: Future studies should incorporate measures of the predictors of douching and detailed exposure information to determine the independent contribution of vaginal douching to health outcomes.