Trichomoniasis and Associated Socio-Demographic Factors among Women in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Human trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by an anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis that infects the human urogenital tract. The study is aimed that assessing the association between trichomoniasis and demographic parameters in women attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). The cross-sectional study was made up of 650 randomly selected women, 450 of them were tested for trichomoniasis using urine sample while the other 200 were tested using high vagina swab (HVS). With the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, consenting participants provided their socio-demographic data. The results showed that there was an association between educational status and prevalence of trichomoniasis (p<0.05) in both cases of samples. Also, there was association between age and prevalence of trichomoniasis in HVS tested sample (p<0.05). There was no association between trichomoniasis and occupational and marital statuses (p>0.05). This study has revealed that education and age can impact on the dynamics of trichomonial infection among women.