Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Dec 1;40(4):776-786.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdy085.

Sources affecting knowledge and behavior responses to the Zika virus in US households with current pregnancy, intended pregnancy and a high probability of unintended pregnancy

Affiliations

Sources affecting knowledge and behavior responses to the Zika virus in US households with current pregnancy, intended pregnancy and a high probability of unintended pregnancy

Man-Pui Sally Chan et al. J Public Health (Oxf). .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: This study examined the influences of information sources on Zika-relevant knowledge and behaviors in US households containing members who are pregnant, intend to become pregnant, or have a higher probability of unintended pregnancy in Zika-affected regions (i.e. respondents who are younger, are black, have less education, are unmarried, and reside in the southern USA).

Methods: Over 32 000 US adults completed a survey measuring Zika-relevant knowledge and behaviors along with information sources (e.g. discussing Zika with practitioners), general media usage (e.g. TV) and demographic information over 30 weeks.

Results: Respondents in the group with (versus without) either pregnancy or intended pregnancy were more likely to use all information sources, which in turn created differences in knowledge and behavior responses. To gauge information sources in US-South respondents with a high probability of having a household member with unintended pregnancy based on demographics, younger, less-educated, unmarried, black respondents had fewer Zika discussion with practitioners than another group.

Conclusions: Efforts to increase Zika-related knowledge and protective behaviors should target households with members who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant via practitioners, family and friends. Additional efforts should target information channels to reach younger, less educated, unmarried, black respondents, which are at risk for unintended pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. CDC Zika Virus Home: Health Effects & Risks Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/healtheffects/index.html (17 October 2016, date last accessed).
    1. McCarthy M. CDC updates Zika virus guidance to protect pregnant women. Br Med J 2016;352:i786. - PubMed
    1. Ellington SR, Devine O, Bertolli J et al. . Estimating the number of pregnant women infected with Zika virus and expected infants with microcephaly following the Zika Virus outbreak in Puerto Rico, 2016. JAMA Pediatr 2016;170(10):940–5. 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2974. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marge Dwyer Many U.S. Families Considering Pregnancy don’t Know Zika Facts Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/zika-virus-awareness-pr... (19 January 2018, date lat accessed).
    1. CDC Areas With Zika: Case Counts in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html (17 October 2016, date last accessed).

Publication types