title: Knowledge and awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus among women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of disabilities in children, yet the general public appears to have little awareness of CMV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women were surveyed about newborn infections at 7 different geographic locations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 643 women surveyed, 142 (22%) had heard of congenital CMV. Awareness increased with increasing levels of education (P<.0001). Women who had worked as a healthcare professional had a higher prevalence of awareness of CMV than had other women (56% versus 16%, P <.0001). Women who were aware of CMV were most likely to have heard about it from a healthcare provider (54%), but most could not correctly identify modes of CMV transmission or prevention. Among common causes of birth defects and childhood illnesses, women's awareness of CMV ranked last.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite its large public health burden, few women had heard of congenital CMV, and even fewer were aware of prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Jiyeon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Stuart P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arwady
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Demmler
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldfarb
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keyserling
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massoudi
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Stephanie A S
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Staras
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cannon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors