title: Acceptance of syphilis screening among residents of high-STD-risk Houston communities.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of acceptance of street-intercept syphilis screening and to identify barriers to screening among residents of 2 Houston communities with high rates of syphilis. Each of 691 people who participated in a street-intercept survey about syphilis was offered a free syphilis test immediately after completion of the survey. Acceptors of screening had blood drawn at the site of the interview, and blood samples were tested by rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and a confirmatory microhaemagglutination-Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP) for those with a positive antibody reaction on the RPR. On-street syphilis screening was accepted by 26% of the sample. The most common reason for refusal was not wanting to have blood drawn (19.5%). Among those screened for syphilis (n=148), seroprevalence was 19%, with 33% of women testing positive and 10% of men. The results of this study point to a need for increased case-finding, standard screening recommendations, and interventions targeting specific barriers to syphilis screening.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Texas-Houston, PO Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225, USA. jbaseman@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baseman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D013587:Syphilis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial