Population-based study of asymptomatic infection with Chlamydia trachomatis among female and male students.
There are few epidemiological studies of asymptomatic chlamydial infection among students in non-medical settings with minimal bias and improved accuracy; thus, useful data from screening among students are limited. We aimed to obtain accurate epidemiological information about asymptomatic chlamydial infection among students in non-medical settings. A population-based cross-sectional survey of 10,440 >or=18-year-old asymptomatic students who volunteered for a urine screening test for chlamydia was conducted. The prevalences of asymptomatic infection were 9.5% for women and 6.7% for men. Multivariate analysis revealed the risk factors to be a lifetime history of >or=4 sexual partners for women (odds ratio [OR] 3.17) and inconsistent condom use for men (OR 4.18). For both sexes, younger age at first intercourse was associated with a higher rate of inconsistent condom use. This study produced accurate epidemiological information on asymptomatic chlamydial infection. These results may contribute to the establishment of preventive countermeasures against such infection.
Imai
Hirohisa
H
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0197, Japan. imaihiro@niph.go.jp
Nakao
H
H
Shinohara
H
H
Fujii
Y
Y
Tsukino
H
H
Hamasuna
R
R
Osada
Y
Y
Fukushima
K
K
Inamori
M
M
Ikenoue
T
T
Katoh
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D003075:Coitus; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult