Changes in reported vaginal cleansing practices and (sexual) behaviour between the enrolment and the M6 visit
| Self-reported sociodemographic characteristics | Enr (n=71) | M6 (n=65) | OR (95% CI)* |
| P value* | |||
| Reports using no products inside the vagina (other than for managing menses; all participants) n (%) | 35 (49.3) | 53 (81.5) | 5.2 (1.96 to 17.34) |
| <0.001 | |||
| Reports using no products inside the vagina (other than for managing menses; controls and metronidazole users only)† n (%) | 15 (44.1) | 27 (79.4) | 13.0 (1.95 to 552.5) |
| 0.002 | |||
| Reports using water only n (%) | 23 (32.4) | 10 (15.4) | 0.37 (0.13 to 0.92) |
| 0.029 | |||
| Reports using water and soap n (%) | 3 (4.2) | 2 (3.1) | 0.67 (0.06 to 5.82) |
| 1.00 | |||
| Reports using paper, cloth or cotton wool n (%) | 9 (12.7) | 0 (0) | 0.13 (0.00 to 0.93)‡ |
| 0.008 | |||
| Reports using traditional herbs, stones, powders as vaginal cleansing practice n (%) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.5) | 1.00 (0.01 to 78.5)‡ |
| 1.00 | |||
| Mean weekly frequency of vaginal practices (95% CI) | 2.15 (0.97 to 3.34) | 0.64 (0.18 to 1.11) | NA |
| 0.328 | |||
| Median no of sex partners in last month at baseline or per month during follow-up period (IQR) | 5 (3–16) | 2 (1–4) | NA |
| <0.001 | |||
| Any condom use reported in past 2 weeks (Enr) or since last study visit (M6), vs no condom use reported n (%) | 64 (90.1) | 60 (92.3) | 1.67 (0.32 to 10.7) |
| 0.727 | |||
| Reports exchanging sex for money/goods in past month (Enr) or since last study visit (M6) n (%) | 65 (91.5) | 58 (89.2) | 0.80 (0.16 to 3.72) |
| 1.00 |
*McNemar’s OR and p value for binary variables and Wilcoxon signed-rank test p value for continuous variables, comparing the response at M6 with the response at Enr. ORs with 95% CI were also calculated for binary pre–post data.
†n=34.
‡To enable calculation of effect measures, a zero value was replaced by 1.
CI, confidence interval; Enr, enrolment visit; IQR, inter-quartile range; M6, month 6 visit; NA, not applicable; OR, odds ratio.