Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 9;16(7):1257. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16071257.
Zika infection, an otherwise usually mild disease, is of serious public health concern due to the potential teratogenic effects of the virus. The incidence of Zika infection is difficult to document since it is mostly asymptomatic and detection of those carrying Zika is usually not possible. Currently, there is no vaccine for Zika; therefore, use of personal preventative measures is the only method of avoiding transmission. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between knowledge of Zika transmission and the use of preventive measures among Latinas of childbearing age who lived in or near farm-working communities in South Florida. A secondary data analysis was performed on a cross-sectional study, sampling 100 Latina women aged 18⁻50 years. Sixty-nine percent demonstrated a high degree of knowledge of Zika transmission, and 68% were categorized as taking good preventative measures. Women with high knowledge were 5.86 times more likely to take good preventative measures than those with no knowledge (-value = 0.05). Knowledge was associated with more preventative measures. Therefore, it is essential to further investigate this relationship in order to develop effective public health interventions for this population.
寨卡病毒感染通常症状较轻，但由于该病毒可能具有致畸性，因此引起了严重的公共卫生关注。由于该病毒大多无症状，且通常无法检测到携带病毒的人，因此很难记录寨卡病毒感染的发病率。目前尚无寨卡病毒疫苗；因此，使用个人预防措施是避免传播的唯一方法。本研究旨在评估佛罗里达州南部农场工作社区居住或附近的育龄拉丁裔妇女对寨卡病毒传播的认识与预防措施使用之间的关系。对一项横断面研究进行了二次数据分析，共抽取了 100 名年龄在 18 至 50 岁之间的拉丁裔妇女。69%的人对寨卡病毒传播有很高的认识程度，68%的人被归类为采取了良好的预防措施。具有高知识水平的女性采取良好预防措施的可能性是没有知识水平的女性的 5.86 倍（-值=0.05）。知识与更多的预防措施有关。因此，为了针对这一人群制定有效的公共卫生干预措施，有必要进一步研究这种关系。
