121 An Educational Intervention for Congenital Cytomegalovirus: Pre- and Post- Education Knowledge and Behaviors

Faculty Mentor: Marissa Diener (Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah)

Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the leading cause of non-genetic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in the United States (Lanzieri et al., 2017). If present at birth, it can result in hearing loss most commonly, but also permanent neurocognitive disability and musculoskeletal impairment in children (Pesch et al., 2021). It has significantly higher rates of infection than diseases such as down syndrome or spina bifida, but very low levels of awareness among the public (Diener et al., 2020). Our study involved investigating the impact of a CMV education intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of pregnant women towards cCMV. As part of the educational intervention, 107 pregnant women completed pre-education and posteducation surveys that were randomized between a print and video format. Some women received the survey and educational materials via email, while others received the materials in-person at the clinic. The pre and post surveys occurred 8 to 10 weeks apart. Preliminary results were analyzed (see figures below), and they portrayed that women changed their hygiene behaviors after education. Women also viewed the educational materials favorably and their knowledge about the virus shows an increase after education as well. There was not a difference noted between remote and in person education formats. The project results portray the significance of educational intervention in changing behaviors and attitudes. The long-term goal is to help scale up educational efforts to prevent CMV and to survey more diverse populations.

Diener, M L., et al. (2020). A Cross-Sectional Study of Caregiver Perceptions of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: Knowledge and Attitudes about Screening. The Journal of Pediatrics, Feb 139(2): e20160789. Doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-0789

Lanzieri, T. M., Chung, W., Flores, M., Blum, P., Caviness, A. C., Bialek, S. R., … & Congenital Cytomegalovirus Longitudinal Study Group. (2017). Hearing loss in children with asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Pediatrics, 139(3).

Pesch MH, Saunders NA, Abdelnabi S. (2021). Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy: Prevention, Presentation, Management and Neonatal Outcomes. J Midwifery Womens Health. May;66(3):397-402. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13228. Epub 2021 May 24. PMID: 34031974.