title: Factors affecting mothers' knowledge of genetic screening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate mothers' knowledge of terms used in genetic counselling and their participation in Down syndrome and newborn screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  An obstetric tertiary referral hospital in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 232 consecutive women delivering a liveborn baby.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were interviewed within 24 h of blood being taken from their baby by the heel prick test for the newborn screen. Non-English speaking women were included using medical interpreters. The questionnaire assessed knowledge of terms used in genetic counselling for Down syndrome and newborn screening. A second researcher, blinded to subject demographics, scored questionnaires using a predefined scoring system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Demographic factors affecting knowledge and knowledge of Down syndrome and newborn screening test uptake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 200 women consented to participate in the present study (86.2%). New mothers had limited knowledge of genetic disease (median: 4/15, interquartile range: 2-8). In multivariate analysis, Caucasian ethnic background, English as the first language, higher level of education, and knowledge of family history were significant associations of higher knowledge scores (all P <0.006). The majority of participants who had Down syndrome testing (54%) were aware that they had done so (51.5%; kappa=90.9%). In multivariate analysis age >35 years, English as a first language and non-married status were associated with increased test uptake. In contrast, only 26.5% of participants knew that their child had undergone the newborn screen, despite it having been carried out on 98% of babies (kappa=1.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Newborn screening practices may need to be reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Royal Women's Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suriadi
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jovanovska
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quinlivan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011295:Prenatal Care; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014739:Victoria