title: It takes at least two: male partner factors, racial/ethnic disparity, and Chlamydia trachomatis among pregnant women.
abstract: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States, disproportionately infects women and people of color. This study aimed to identify risk factors for racial and ethnic disparities for CT infection, re-infection, and persistent infection among pregnant women. We present a secondary analysis of births from a retrospective cohort study in Syracuse, NY from January 2000 through March 2002. African American women [OR 3.35 CI (2.29, 4.92)], Latin American women [OR 4.35 CI (2.52, 7.48)], unmarried women [OR 7.57 CI (4.38, 13.10)], and teen mothers [OR 3.87 CI (2.91, 5.16)] demonstrated statistically significant increased risk for infection. In multivariate analyses that included male partner variables, father's race/ethnicity but not the mother's race/ethnicity remained statistically associated with CT. Despite near universal rates of screening pregnant women, challenges to CT control remain and reflect barriers to testing and treatment of male partners.
authors.affiliation: SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weisz
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lozyniak
authors.forename: Sandra D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: DeMott
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wojtowycz
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.forename: Emilia H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Koumans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000208:ethnology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D055815:Young Adult