Here’s a breakdown of the provided text, focusing on the definitions and statistical analysis:
Definitions:
Antibiotic Use:
Defined as using at least one of seven specific antibiotics (azithromycin, erythromycin, benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, clindamycin, metronidazole) within 12 months prior to the study visit.
Only explicit “yes” responses to questions about antibiotic use were counted.
The seven antibiotics were chosen due to their common use in gynecology.
Specific relevance to chlamydia: Azithromycin, amoxicillin, and erythromycin are highlighted as recommended or alternative treatments for chlamydia infection according to clinical guidelines.
Categorization by WHO AWaRe system:
Access: Amoxicillin, Clindamycin, Benzylpenicillin, Metronidazole (recommended as first or second-choice empiric treatments for common infections).
Watch: Azithromycin, Ceftriaxone, Erythromycin (Reserve antibiotics were not applicable).
Current Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Infections:
Diagnosed based on positive results from urine and/or cervical swab tests.
High-Risk Sexual Behaviors:
Defined as having ever had a casual sex partner and/or not consistently using condoms during sexual activity.Statistical Analysis:
Baseline Characteristics Comparison:
Pearson’s ฯยฒ test was used to compare baseline characteristics between women with and without antibiotic use.
Categorical variables were presented as counts and percentages.
Missing data for baseline characteristics were handled by grouping them into a separate category for each variable.
Antibiotic Use Proportion:
The proportion of participants using different antibiotics was calculated.
Association between prior Antibiotic Use and Chlamydia Prevalence:
Method: Multivariable logistic regression was used.
Outcome: Prevalence of chlamydia infection.
Predictor: Prior antibiotic use.
Measures: Odds Ratios (ORs) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs).
Adjustments: The analysis adjusted for age, age at first sexual debut, and high-risk sexual behaviors.
Subgroup Analysis:
A subgroup analysis was conducted specifically among users of antibiotics recommended for chlamydia treatment (azithromycin, erythromycin, amoxicillin).
Purpose: To assess class-specific effects of these antibiotics.
Software and significance:
Software: R software (version 4.3.2) was used for all analyses.
Significance Level: A two-sided P value < 0.05 was considered statistically notable.