Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in married women of reproductive age in the rural area of Shandong province and its risk factors / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis of married women of reproductive age in the rural area of Shandong province and its affecting factors, with an aim to provide references for setting up preventing measures for this disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A stratified, population-based, cluster sampling method was employed. The epidemiological investigation on bacterial vaginosis of married women of reproductive age was carried out at four sampling fields.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 6.64%. The main risk factors included: lacked of personal bathtub and towel; did not use sterilized paper on menstrual phase; had no knowledge that gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS, and trichomonal vaginitis can be transmitted through sexual intercourse.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in married women of reproductive age in Shandong rural area is high, which correlates with the lower education level, limited health knowledge, and unhealthy behavior.</p>