Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice to Wards Hepatitis B Prevention Among Debre Tabor Health Science College Students, South Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia 2021

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus which attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a highly contagious virus which is 50-100 times more infectious than HIV but have similar mode of transmission. Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. Hepatitis B infection is one of the major public health problems and is the tenth leading cause of death. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice towards hepatitis B prevention among students in Debre Tabor Health Science College. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 health science students in Debre tabor, town September to october,2021. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique after proportionally allocating the sample size from the total number of students, and finally study subjects was selected by systematic random sampling based on their list studying at Debre tabor health science college. The data were collected by trained data collectors using a structured self-questionnaire. The collected data were checked, coded and entered to SPSS version 20, and for data cleaning and analysis. RESULT: The response rate was 84.1% (n = 355). A total of 262(73.8%) of the students knew about the transmission of HBV infection. Majority of the students (73.5%) agreed for vaccination against HBV infection. About 10.4%, 16.3%, 5.6%, 15.5%, 10.4%, 5.1%, and 5.07% of were responds know wearing of gloves, wearing of goggles, adequate disposal of sharp materials, avoid patients diagnosed with hepatitis B, multivitamin/Blood Tonic, use antibiotics after contact, and other protective measures taken to protect against hepatitis B infection students knew about the preventive measures against HBV infection. CONCLUSION: The overall awareness regarding HBV disease was found to be deficient among the health science students.

Contribution of HIV/AIDS-Related Human and Social Sciences Research to a Better Understanding of the Challenges of Hepatitis B Prevention, Diagnosis and Care

Recent scientific advances in hepatitis B virus research hint at the possibility of finding a cure in the medium term. In this context, the characterization of infected persons constitutes a major public health issue in terms of implementing adapted screening and prevention strategies. Overcoming the current challenges national health systems face in hepatitis B diagnosis is essential if the World Health Organization’s target of treating 80% of infected patients by 2030 is to be reached. These challenges reflect those previously faced in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Using the knowledge produced to date in Human and Social Sciences research in the fight against HIV/AIDS, we propose avenues of reflection to support and guide the development of research in the diagnosis of hepatitis B infection. More specifically, we present theoretical, methodological and epistemological considerations for how HSS research can be optimized in the following three HBV diagnosis-related areas: (i) access to screening; (ii) retention in care; and (iii) the integration of quality of life measurement in clinical trials.

Hepatitis B Knowledge, Attitude and Vaccination Status among Nurses of Tamale Central Hospital, Ghana

Background: In our healthcare setting transmission of hepatitis B is a big challenge to handle for both patients and healthcare providers especially those in frequent contact with blood. Objectives: To determine Hepatitis B knowledge, attitude, and vaccination status among nurses of Tamale Central Hospital. Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 20. Bivariate analysis was done using chi-square to determine the relationships. Results: The study recorded a response rate of 92.5%. Majority (59.6%) had high, 36.4% had moderate and 4.0% had low knowledge hepatitis B. Hepatitis knowledge level was associated with: age X2 (4) = 17.789, P= 0.001, sex, X2(2) = 13.203, P = 0.001, educational level, X2(6) = 17.552, P = 0.007, nursing category, X2(4) = 19.226, P = 0.001, and duration of nursing practice X2(2) = 19.492, P ≤ 0.001. About 42.9% had positive attitude toward hepatitis B prevention and attitude level towards hepatitis B was associated with: marital status X2(1) = 11.090, P = 0.001, residential address X2 (2) = 11.411, P = 0.003 and duration of nursing practice X2(1) = 4.769, P = 0.029. About 84.8% of nurses started vaccination against hepatitis B and 77.3% completed at least three doses of the vaccination. The only factor with a statistically significant relationship with vaccination completeness status was respondent marital status X2(1) = 8.063, P = 0.005. Conclusion: Nurses' knowledge of hepatitis B was very good. And more than half of the nurses had a negative attitude towards hepatitis B prevention. In terms of vaccination more than three-fourth of them started and completed three doses of hepatitis B vaccination.

Association Between Income and Hepatitis B Seroprevalence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Hepatitis B serology is very important for both diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. However, evidence regarding the association between income and hepatitis B seroprevalence are not sufficient to make a definitive conclusion. Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between income inequality and hepatitis B seroprevalence. Methods: We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases to identify all relevant epidemiological studies published up to February 10, 2020. A categorical meta-analysis was applied to pool risk effects of income on hepatitis B seroprevalence. Results: A total of 1525 pieces of literature related to income level and hepatitis B seroprevalence were retrieved, of which 10 articles were finally included. The results revealed a borderline risk (OR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.00 - 1.30) for hepatitis B seroprevalence (positive for one or more seromarkers) among low-income groups. A significant income effect was observed for HBsAg seroprevalence with a 28% higher risk for low income versus high cases (OR: 1.28, 95%CI: 1.16 - 1.41). However, no statistically significant associations were found between seroprevalence of Anti-HBs, Anti-HBc, and income. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that low income may increase the risk of hepatitis B seroprevalence, especially for HBsAg seroprevalence. Programs on hepatitis B prevention should focus on those with low income. Further studies are warranted to establish causality.