title: Attitudes to Chlamydia screening elicited using the social networking site Facebook for subject recruitment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) is the commonest bacterial sexually transmissible infection worldwide and contributes to significant morbidity in females. We examined potential barriers and facilitating factors for screening in young Victorian women, using the social networking site, Facebook to recruit participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was part of a larger study on young women's health that assessed the feasibility of using social networking sites for recruitment. An advertisement was placed on Facebook between May and September 2010, and was visible to eligible women. Women who clicked on the advertisement and expressed their interest in participating were invited to complete a questionnaire either at a study site or online.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 278 participants completed the survey, with 76% reporting willingness to participate in chlamydia screening by recruitment via an online system. Overall, 73% of participants indicated they were comfortable providing a urine sample collected at home for chlamydia screening, with older participants less comfortable with this method (P=0.02, odds ratio (OR)=0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.01-0.7). Participants expressed comfort with their Pap smear and chlamydia screening being performed together (92.7%), especially those who were aware of human papillomavirus (P<0.01, OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.3-4.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated willingness by young Victorian women using Facebook to participate in screening for chlamydia. There was strong acceptance of self-collected sampling, and of combined chlamydia and cervical cytology screening. Facebook may therefore be a feasible way for improving screening coverage at a population level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: Navera
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Yasmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wark
authors.forename: Yeshe
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fenner
authors.forename: Elya E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Sepehr N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Tabrizi
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Garland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D061108:Social Media; D060756:Social Networking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria; D055815:Young Adult