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Vaginal douching and association with sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in a prefecture of Yunnan Province, China.
- Source :
-
International journal of STD & AIDS [Int J STD AIDS] 2016 Jun; Vol. 27 (7), pp. 560-7. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 May 27. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Vaginal douching is a common practice and has been hypothesised to increase a woman's risk for human of contracting HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Our objective was to assess the prevalence of douching and its association with STIs, genital symptoms and HIV/STI knowledge among female sex workers (FSWs). We conducted a cross-sectional study of 837 FSWs with interviews and laboratory tests for HIV/STIs in a prefecture of Yunnan Province in southern China. Vaginal douching was reported by 84% of the women. We found a higher prevalence of vaginal douching practice among FSWs of Han ethnicity, and who were single or cohabitating. Douching was also significantly more common among more educated FSWs and those with greater knowledge of HIV/STIs, and as well as in FSWs who had experienced clinical symptoms in the previous 12 months. Douching was linked to higher risks of HIV (adjusted odds ratio = 2.29; 95% confidence interval 1.01-5.23) and herpes simplex virus type 2 infections (adjusted odds ratio = 2.18; 95% confidence interval 1.46-3.24) after adjusting for confounding factors. Medical professionals and public health workers should correct women's misconception about the effectiveness of douching and discourage women from douching through educational activities. More prospective studies among FSWs are urgently required to identify the relationship between vaginal douching and HIV/STIs.<br /> (© The Author(s) 2015.)
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
China epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
HIV Infections epidemiology
HIV Infections etiology
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Sex Work
Sexually Transmitted Diseases transmission
Young Adult
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Sex Workers
Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology
Therapeutic Irrigation adverse effects
Vaginal Douching statistics & numerical data
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1758-1052
- Volume :
- 27
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- International journal of STD & AIDS
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 26016725
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0956462415589044