Prevention of vaginal douching among adolescent and young women Investigators
Patty Kissinger, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator
Edward Morse, Ph.D. – Co-Investigator
Patricia Morse, Ph.D. – Co-Investigator
Sue Ellen Abdalian, M.D. – Co-Investigator
David H. Martin, M.D. – Co-Investigator
Nicole Liddon, Ph.D. - Co-investigator Funding Agent
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Participating Institutes
01 Women’s Health Clinic
Drop-in Clinic Description
Vaginal douching perturbs the normal vaginal flora and allows for overgrowth of organisms that can cause bacterial vaginosis. It may also increase the likelihood of acquiring other sexually transmitted infections. This is a randomized behavioral trial to determine if a client-centered motivational interviewing intervention to prevent vaginal douching is better than a control arm for reducing the practice of vaginal douching among women age 13-24 (N=270). The first phase is a qualitative component whereby we conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups with young women who do and do not douch, their mothers and their sexual partners. From this research we will develop the intervention and the quantitative tools. Women will be randomized to receive the intervention or the control and will be followed at 3 and 6 months to determine their douching status and to examine them for STIs and bacterial vaginosis | 
