ArticleInternational journal of STD & AIDS2023
Acceptability of self-collected vaginal swabs for sexually transmitted infection testing among youth in a community-based setting in Zimbabwe.
Article in International journal of STD & AIDS, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- UnveilingiScience · 2025Article
- Novel lateral flow assay for point-of-care detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in syndromic management settings: a cross-sectional performance evaluation.Lancet (London, England) · 2024Article
- Just in case: undergraduate students identifying and mitigating barriers to their sexual and reproductive health needs.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Status of common sexually transmitted infection in population referred for colposcopy and correlation with human papillomavirus infection.BMC women's health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYouth are a high-risk group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To increase access to STI testing, convenient approaches for sampling and testing are needed. We assessed the acceptability of self-collected vaginal swabs (SCVS) for STI testing among young women (16-24 years) attending a community-based sexual and reproductive health service in Zimbabwe.
methodsA SCVS was used for point-of-care testing for
resultsWe recruited 129 women who took up STI testing (median age 20 years, IQR 18-22 years) and conducted 12 IDIs. Most participants reported that they understood the instructions (93.0%) and found SCVS easy (90.7%). Many participants felt relaxed (93.0%), in control (88.4%) and that they had enough privacy (90.7%). Pain or discomfort were reported by 16.3% and embarrassment by 15.5%. Among the 92 (71.3%) participants who provided both a SCVS and urine sample, 60.9% preferred SCVS. Sample collection method preferences were similar between 16-19 and 20-24year-olds. In IDIs, clear instructions, privacy, trust in the service and same-day results were perceived as important facilitators to taking up SCVS. Participants frequently described feeling relaxed and confident whilst taking a SCVS. Pain and discomfort were uncommon experiences.
conclusionsSCVS for STI testing are acceptable to young women and a feasible method of sample collection in community-based settings.
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