Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the long-term changes in awareness of and knowledge about mother-to-child infections across 6 years in Japan. A questionnaire survey was conducted at our facility from October 2012 to January 2018, and the study periods were divided into 4 phases comprising 16 months each. A multiple-choice questionnaire assessed participants’ awareness of the following 13 pathogens of mother-to-child infections: cytomegalovirus (CMV), Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), hepatitis B virus, rubella virus, herpes simplex virus, parvovirus B19, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, human T cell leukemia virus type-1, measles virus, varicella-zoster virus, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Treponema pallidum. For the selected four pathogens (i.e., CMV, rubella virus, T. gondii, and parvovirus B19), the questionnaire also evaluated participants’ knowledge of transmission routes, the most susceptible time of infection that could yield severe fetal disease during pregnancy, the maximum frequency of fetal infection in cases of maternal infection, and methods to prevent maternal infection. In total, 1433 pregnant Japanese women were included in this study. There was no secular change in awareness of the pathogens concerning mother-to-child infections over time, and we also clarified that the detailed knowledge of the four pathogens of typical mother-to-child infections did not improve. Since knowledge about methods to prevent maternal infection is still insufficient for all pathogens, further advocacy is required to prevent mother-to-child infections.
Highlights
Congenital infection is a common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality
Participation was voluntary, and the questionnaire was completed anonymously (Fig 1). Since this questionnaire asked about awareness of and knowledge about mother-to-child infections, we excluded 289 pregnant women who were referred to our hospital for analysis due to suspicion of congenital infections
We divided the study periods into 4 phases constituting 16 months each, as phase I (October 2012-January 2014, n = 376), phase II (February 2014-May 2015, n = 341), phase III (June 2015-September 2016, n = 139), and phase IV (October 2016-January 2018, n = 288). Since this questionnaire asked about awareness of and knowledge about mother-to-child infections, we excluded 289 pregnant women who were referred to our hospital on suspicion of congenital infections (CMV; n = 220, T. gondii; n = 56, rubella virus; n = 6, parvovirus B19; n = 4, and Treponema pallidum; n = 1) from further analysis (Fig 1)
Summary
Congenital infection is a common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The estimated incidence of the congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in Japan was reported to be 30 per 10,000 births between 2008 and 2010 [1], which is more frequent in comparison. Changes in knowledge about mother-to-child infections among pregnant Japanese women [H.Y.], JP19gk0110047 [H.Y.], and JP20gk0110037 [K.F.])
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