Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana
BackgroundVulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a condition commonly caused by Candida albicans. It is the second most common infection of the female genitalia affecting many women worldwide. Studies have identified unhealthy genital care practices to be associated with the infection among women includi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1647140/full |
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| author | Florence Shine Edziah Florence Shine Edziah Princess Ruhama Acheampong Philip Apraku Tawiah Cedric Dzidzor Amengor Godsway Edem Kpene Grace Otobea Amponsah Priscilla Appiah Baffoe Georgina Korankye John Gameli Deku |
| author_facet | Florence Shine Edziah Florence Shine Edziah Princess Ruhama Acheampong Philip Apraku Tawiah Cedric Dzidzor Amengor Godsway Edem Kpene Grace Otobea Amponsah Priscilla Appiah Baffoe Georgina Korankye John Gameli Deku |
| author_sort | Florence Shine Edziah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundVulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a condition commonly caused by Candida albicans. It is the second most common infection of the female genitalia affecting many women worldwide. Studies have identified unhealthy genital care practices to be associated with the infection among women including expectant mothers. Knowledge of the various signs and symptoms is crucial for early detection, reporting, and treatment. Good knowledge may influence healthy practices, limiting the infection and its complications. This study assessed the knowledge, practices and occurrence of Vulvovaginal candidiasis among pregnant women accessing antenatal care at a teaching hospital in Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 336 pregnant women receiving antenatal care at the Ho Teaching Hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge of the infection and practices on vaginal hygiene. The hospital records of these participants were further checked to verify the occurrence of the infection. Data were analyzed using Stata version 16. Analysis to identify associations between outcome variables and risk factors as well as significance level was carried out.ResultsOut of the 336 gestational mothers involved in the study, 27.1% were found to have been diagnosed with candidiasis at the time of the study. Pregnant women who usually use antibiotics had 2.25 increased odds of developing VVC compared to those who do not [OR:2.25 95CI:1.33–3.79; p-value = 0.003]. Although, good knowledge was recorded among a greater percentage of the study participants on the various signs and symptoms including vaginal discharge and its abnormalities, there was however, a poor knowledge on the causative organism, as 77.4% indicated that the infection was caused by other agents rather than fungi.ConclusionThe occurrence of VVC was elevated in the study jurisdiction. Frequent antibiotic use was found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of the infection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-55036ec20ac1471e99a2b86aeea66b08 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5059 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-55036ec20ac1471e99a2b86aeea66b082025-08-25T05:26:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Global Women's Health2673-50592025-08-01610.3389/fgwh.2025.16471401647140Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, GhanaFlorence Shine Edziah0Florence Shine Edziah1Princess Ruhama Acheampong2Philip Apraku Tawiah3Cedric Dzidzor Amengor4Godsway Edem Kpene5Grace Otobea Amponsah6Priscilla Appiah Baffoe7Georgina Korankye8John Gameli Deku9Department of Health Promotion & Disability Studies, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaDepartment of Health Promotion & Disability Studies, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Health & Safety, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mothers Clinic, Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho, GhanaDepartment of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaBackgroundVulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a condition commonly caused by Candida albicans. It is the second most common infection of the female genitalia affecting many women worldwide. Studies have identified unhealthy genital care practices to be associated with the infection among women including expectant mothers. Knowledge of the various signs and symptoms is crucial for early detection, reporting, and treatment. Good knowledge may influence healthy practices, limiting the infection and its complications. This study assessed the knowledge, practices and occurrence of Vulvovaginal candidiasis among pregnant women accessing antenatal care at a teaching hospital in Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 336 pregnant women receiving antenatal care at the Ho Teaching Hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge of the infection and practices on vaginal hygiene. The hospital records of these participants were further checked to verify the occurrence of the infection. Data were analyzed using Stata version 16. Analysis to identify associations between outcome variables and risk factors as well as significance level was carried out.ResultsOut of the 336 gestational mothers involved in the study, 27.1% were found to have been diagnosed with candidiasis at the time of the study. Pregnant women who usually use antibiotics had 2.25 increased odds of developing VVC compared to those who do not [OR:2.25 95CI:1.33–3.79; p-value = 0.003]. Although, good knowledge was recorded among a greater percentage of the study participants on the various signs and symptoms including vaginal discharge and its abnormalities, there was however, a poor knowledge on the causative organism, as 77.4% indicated that the infection was caused by other agents rather than fungi.ConclusionThe occurrence of VVC was elevated in the study jurisdiction. Frequent antibiotic use was found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of the infection.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1647140/fullcandidiasispregnant womenantibiotic useknowledgepractices |
| spellingShingle | Florence Shine Edziah Florence Shine Edziah Princess Ruhama Acheampong Philip Apraku Tawiah Cedric Dzidzor Amengor Godsway Edem Kpene Grace Otobea Amponsah Priscilla Appiah Baffoe Georgina Korankye John Gameli Deku Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana Frontiers in Global Women's Health candidiasis pregnant women antibiotic use knowledge practices |
| title | Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana |
| title_full | Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana |
| title_short | Vulvovaginal candidiasis: knowledge, practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital, Ghana |
| title_sort | vulvovaginal candidiasis knowledge practices and occurrence among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a teaching hospital ghana |
| topic | candidiasis pregnant women antibiotic use knowledge practices |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1647140/full |
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