Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Hepatitis B Infection and Vaccination among Public Health Students in Ghana

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis-B (Hep-B) infection is a global public health problem of great concern which affects more than 5% of the local population in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed students’ knowledge, attitude and practices towards Hepatitis B infection and vaccination at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among 262 Public Health students of the University of Health and Allied Science of the Volta region of Ghana, using a multi-stage sampling technique in selecting participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 20.1. Results: Study respondents were mostly males, forming 69.8% as against 30.2% of their female counterparts. All (262) respondents had knowledge on Hep-B infection and the availability of a vaccine for preventing Hepatitis infection. However, despite their knowledge of existence, the majority (56.9%) of the respondents felt they did not need to be protected from Hep-B infection. Majority (58.8%) of the total respondents have been vaccinated against Hep-B infection. The study identified the cost of vaccines as a major setback to non-vaccination. However, out of the 41.2% respondents who were not vaccinated against Hep B infection, majority (50.9%) of them were not willing to be vaccinated even if it was offered to them at no cost. Conclusion: There was a significantly high level of knowledge on Hep-B infection and the availability of vaccine for Hep-B infection among students. However, the majority of the respondents felt they did not need to be protected from Hep-B infection. More education is needed on the importance of vaccination as an effective measure for controlling Hepatitis infection.