Gauging acceptance of a hepatitis C test by family planning clinic attendees in Glasgow, UK.
BACKGROUND
In the UK, pregnant women are not offered and recommended a hepatitis C virus (HCV) test because no effective intervention to prevent vertical transmission of HCV exists following conception. Mother-to-child transmission of HCV could, however, be reduced if infected women planning to have children underwent a course of therapy prior to conception.


OBJECTIVE
To determine what proportion of female family planning clinic (FPC) attendees would hypothetically accept an HCV test if they were offered it and to identify the factors associated with such a decision.


METHODS
Opportunistic sampling was used to recruit 1000 women attending FPCs in Glasgow during 2002/2003. Participants were asked to self-complete a brief questionnaire about HCV and testing.


RESULTS
Of 964 participants, 62% reported that they would accept an HCV test if it was offered in the family planning setting and 24% indicated that they were undecided. Only 4% of women reported that they would be offended if offered an HCV test. The highest rates of hypothetical acceptance of an HCV test were reported among those who had ever injected drugs (88%) and those who felt that they were at risk of being infected with HCV (84%). Women who were single [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8] and who were of non-white ethnic origin (adjusted OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0-6.2) were also significantly more inclined to hypothetically accept an HCV test.


CONCLUSIONS
Selective HCV testing to those women at high risk of HCV infection should be encouraged in the family planning setting.
Sharp
Laura
L
Health Protection Scotland, Glasgow, UK.
Hutchinson
Sharon J
SJ
Goldberg
David
D
Taylor
Avril
A
Carr
Susan
S
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012606:Scotland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires