Cross-Sectional Household Survey of Risk Behaviors Related to Viral Hepatitis among Adults in Sokoto-Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Viral hepatitis is a deadly disease which can manifest as acute, chronic, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure and responsible for 1.34 million deaths globally, a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis and higher than those caused by HIV.
 Objectives: The goal of this survey was to find the vastness of different risk factors associated with Viral Hepatitis and to describe the connection between these risk and sociodemographic factors among adults in Sokoto-Nigeria.
 Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried in nine local government areas in the state. A two-stage cluster sampling was utilized and adults who were living in the selected household were interviewed. A multivariate linear regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between sociodemographic indicators and different viral hepatitis risk factors.
 Results: Seven hundred and twenty eight respondents were recruited for this survey. Sharing nail cutters, body piercing, and razor blade use were the most pervasive risk factors among respondents. Males, married couples, respondents somewhere in the range of 27 and 40 years of age, and people with low educational achievement were more likely to be exposed to risk factors associated with Viral Hepatitis.
 Conclusion: The risk of viral hepatitis was moderately high among the survey subject. Consequently, explicit projects like forum, classes and persistent instruction on preventive measures for viral hepatitis ought to be custom fitted to these forums. These projects could be directed by government specialists like the Ministry of Health Sokoto and other support agencies and non-governmental organizations.