PREVALENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES AGAINST HEPATITIS B AMONG BLOOD DONORS AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can result in both acute and chronic disease. The major modes of transmission include sexual intercourse, mother to child at birth, exposure to infected blood, exposure to infected body fluids (saliva, menstrual, vaginal and seminal fluids). Hepatitis B is more deadly than HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis, with increasing prevalence and mortality when compared with other transfusion transmissible infections. Since blood donors are apparently healthy individuals, information on Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence, knowledge and their preventive practices show the state of the apparently healthy general public and help in the development of strategies for prevention. This study was therefore designed to investigate the prevalence, knowledge, and preventive practice among blood donors against HBV at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey carried out among blood donors at the UCH. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 252 consenting respondents. An interviewer’s administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio demographic characteristics, prevalence, knowledge and preventive practices against HBV. Knowledge of the causative organism, causes, and mode of transmission, affected organ, and prevention of HBV was assessed using an 18-point scale and scores of 0-6, was considered as poor knowledge, >6–12 as fair knowledge and > 12 was considered good knowledge. Preventive practices relating to respondent’s behaviours (sexual behaviour, vaccination and screening) were assessed using a 9-point scale with scores <6 as poor and ≥6 as good. Prevalence was gotten from the medical laboratory records. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi square test at p ≤ 0.05. The age of the Respondent’s was 34.6±8.2 years. Majority (85.3%) were male and 66.3% were married. About 67.1% had tertiary education. While 29.4% were self-employed. Only 25.4% knew their HBV status and 0.4% had history of HBV in the family. The laboratory result revealed that 10.3% of the respondents were HBV positive, 2.3% were Hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive and only 2.0% were positive for Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The knowledge mean score was 6.1±4.1, Almost half (51.2%) of the respondents had poor knowledge, 17.5% had good knowledge. The mean preventive practice score of respondents on HBV measures was 3.6±1.6 with 73.4% having poor preventive practices. Respondent’s sources of information on HBV include Health workers (30.6%), family and friends (8.7%), electronic media (7.5%), communiinternet (3.2%) and religious centres (2.0%). Most respondents most preferred source of information is health workers (34.1%). There was a statistically significant difference between respondent’s level of knowledge of Hepatitis B and preventive practices. The prevalence of HBV was high when compared to other transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs), also knowledge was fair and prevention practice was poor. Therefore, there is the need for urgent hospital-based, community, religious centres and the media-based health education and promotion programmes to create awareness, improve knowledge and preventive practices relating to Hepatitis B virus infectiointernet (3.2%) and religious centres (2.0%). Most respondents most preferred source of information is health workers (34.1%). There was a statistically significant difference between respondent’s level of knowledge of Hepatitis B and preventive practices. The prevalence of HBV was high when compared to other transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs), also knowledge was fair and prevention practice was poor. Therefore, there is the need for urgent hospital-based, community, religious centres and the media-based health education and promotion programmes to create awareness, improve knowledge and preventive practices relating to Hepatitis B virus infection among blood donors and the general public.