Presenters: Shaistah Din
Authors: Shaistah Din, Jessica Sharma, Abel Chavez, Marissa Diener
Faculty Advisor: Marissa Diener
Institution: University of Utah
Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) causes thirty three percent of the hearing loss for children in Utah. cCMV can cause permanent neurocognitive disability and musculoskeletal impairment in children. It has significantly higher rates of infection than diseases such as Down syndrome, but low levels of awareness among the public. In 2013, Utah passed the legislative bill H.B. 81 centered around a public health program aimed at increasing cCMV awareness and knowledge of the disease. Our study involved investigating the impact of a cCMV education intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of pregnant women towards cCMV. As part of the educational intervention, 107 pregnant women completed pre-education and post-education surveys that were randomized between a print and video format. Some women received the survey and educational materials via email, while others received the materials in-person at the clinic. The pre and post surveys occurred eight to ten weeks apart. Preliminary results were analyzed, and they portrayed that women changed their hygiene behaviors after education. Prevention behaviors such as hand washing after a diaper change or after wiping a child’s nose or mouth significantly increased. Women also viewed the educational materials favorably and their knowledge about the virus shows an increase after education as well. Before cCMV education, only 44% of women had heard of cCMV and were less familiar with cCMV than with the other prenatal diseases. After education, 80% of women were more familiar with cCMV. Remote and in person education formats were equally effective. The project results portray the significance of educational intervention in changing behaviors and attitudes. The preliminary results of this investigation show a high need for educational intervention and increased accessibility to information about CMV in clinic offices and hospitals in Utah to increase the awareness of cCMV and improve chances of prevention of the disease.