title: Down syndrome screening methods in Iranian pregnant women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Down syndrome is one of the most prevalent genetic diseases. Screening methods for this syndrome are easy and safe and are recommended to all pregnant women particularly mothers over 35 years of age. This study aimed to review the status of Down syndrome screening and related factors in Iranian pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive analytical study was carried out in 2011. It included 400 women who were randomly selected from those referring to Alzahra Hospital (Tabriz, Iran) during their third trimester of pregnancy. Data was collected through a question-naire whose reliability and validity have been approved. The data was analyzed by chi-square test in SPSS13.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that while 28 and 26 women imple-mented screening tests during the first and second trimesters, respectively, only 5 sub-jects benefited from both (integrated test). Chi-square test showed significant correla-tions between the implementation of screening methods and age, education level, in-come, and the location of prenatal care (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study showed women to poorly implement Down syndrome screening methods. Therefore, the necessity of providing appropriate educational programs for health staff and mothers seems undeniable. Moreover, paying attention to the related factors such as income, educational level, and adequate training of mothers during pregnancy is essential.
authors.affiliation: MSc, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Azizeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farshbaf Khalili
authors.affiliation: MSc, Instructor, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shahnazi
authors.affiliation: MSc, Postgraduate Student, Department of Midwifery, Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Khadijeh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hajizadeh
authors.affiliation: MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences,Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shekari Khaniani
keywords: Down syndrome; Pregnancy; Screening methods