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Zika virus knowledge, contraception use, and lessons learned from a Dominican Republic pilot study
Author(s) -
Shaw Rebecca,
Baker Elizabeth,
Jie Chunfa,
Adamian Shant,
Andres Sarah,
Bachelor Brooke,
Hodges Fiona,
Mittra Tricia,
Viloria Anny Rodriquez
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12957
Subject(s) - medicine , zika virus , public health , psychological intervention , socioeconomic status , environmental health , family planning , long acting reversible contraception , developing country , family medicine , reproductive health , health education , population , nursing , economic growth , research methodology , virology , virus , economics
Objective To assess knowledge of the Zika virus (ZIKV), use of contraceptives, and sources of health information in rural communities in the Dominican Republic. Methods Over 4 days in March 2017, a research team traveled to four rural communities in the Dominican Republic to provide healthcare services. Overall, 90 men and women consented to a voluntary verbal 12‐question survey. Results Of the participants, 55% were not certain whether ZIKV is transmitted sexually; 75% of participants were either not sure or thought ZIKV was not present in their community. Charlas (informal discussions led by community health workers) were cited as the most common source for public health information. Prevalence of contraceptive use was 26.6% hormonal and 1.1% long‐acting reversible contraception (LARC); 30.0% cited no use of contraception. Conclusion Significant deficits in ZIKV knowledge, underutilization of LARCs, and socioeconomic factors exist that constrain the application of WHO recommendations for preventing ZIKV infection. Additional and more robust surveys are needed to assess public health education and interventions, critical for disease prevention in communities facing current and future epidemics.