title: Caregiver attitudes to gynaecological health of women with intellectual disability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is little information available related to the reproductive health of people with intellectual disability (ID). The aims of the present study are to describe caregiver attitudes and to examine determinants of gynaecological health for women with ID.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 1152 caregivers (response rate=71.87%) and analysed their responses to a mailed-out, self-administered, structured questionnaire. We divided attitudinal perceptions of reproductive health into 4 domains: menstruation, menopause, sex education, and preventive healthcare. Each domain in turn had 5 issues (questions), with scores of 1 to 4 given according to the level of agreement with each issue (low to high score: strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree). The total sum score for each domain was 5-20 (total score range: 20-80).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The respondents' attitudinal mean score was 57.78±4.64 (range: 48-75). The multiple logistic regression model revealed that the factors of "workplace training in reproductive health" (OR=1.793, 95% CI=1.31-2.46), "felt satisfied with public reproductive health services for the client" (OR=0.694, 95% CI=0.53-0.92), and "scores of reproductive health knowledge" (OR=1.735, 95% CI=1.29-2.34) were significantly correlated with attitudinal score level toward gynaecological health for women with ID.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study highlights that service authorities should address health policy initiatives to continue providing workplace training in reproductive health, public reproductive health services. There is also a need for caregivers to increase their knowledge of reproductive health.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lan-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jin-Ding
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Cordia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Li-Mei
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education*; D012736:Sex Education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires