Knowledge, attitude and practice of staff of 4 hospitals in Yaoundé on the prevention of vertical transmission of hepatitis B

Abstract

IntroductionHepatitis B virus infection is a public health concern in Cameroon and worldwide. With hepatitis C virus, it is the first cause of liver cancer in Cameroon. The high prevalence of 11.9% in Cameroon is associated with the premature contamination at the perinatal period, due to vertical transmission, from mother-to-child. To put into practice the preventives measures, actors need a good knowledge on premature contamination of a baby. The general objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of level of knowledge on the attitudes and the professional practices concerning prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B (PMTCT/HBV) in Yaoundéhospitals and environs.MethodsWe carried out a cross sectional multicentric, KAP study from 10th March to 15th December 2015 in the obstetrics services of 4 hospitals in Yaoundéand environs. For each health care provider who gave his consent, we used a pretested questionnaire to collect socio-demographics and professional data as well as their knowledges, attitudes and practices on PMTCT/HBV. After given a grade to each item, we proceeded to a quantitative analysis of data using SPSS software and Epi info 7th version.Results105 health care provider took part in the study, made up of 82 women (79%) and 22 men (21%). The ages were between 23 and 60 years, with a mean age of 40.9 ± 9.2 years. Only 21% of the participants had good knowledges on HBV/PMCT. This knowledge had a significant link with the profession, the professional experience and the duration in the same service. All the nurseaids had inadequate knowledges as well as the elders in the profession. Most of the participants (64.4%) had favorableattitude on PMTCT/HBV and that was significantly associated to good knowledges. (OR:5.34; CI 95% [1.47-19.47], p = 0.006). The practices on PMTCT/HBV were inappropriate in 57.1% of the participants. There were no significant relation between good knowledge and the practices (OR: 1.818, CI 95% [0.705-4.68]; p = 0.213) as well as between good attitudes and practices on PMTCT/HBV (OR: 0.932; CI 95% [0.423-2.058]; p = 0.862).ConclusionThe healthcare provider in hospitals in Yaoundé and its environs are old. Their knowledge on PMTCT/HBV is inadequate and their practices inappropriate. Good knowledge doesn't always lead to good practices of PMTCT/HBV. There exist some obstacles or intermediate variables between good knowledge, good attitudes and appropriate practices of PMTCT/HBV.

Correlates of hepatitis B awareness and disease-specific knowledge among pregnant women in Northern and Central Uganda: a cross-sectional study

“…The cut off score of 7/10 was considered to be justifiable, for the extent of difficulty of the questions and the study population. It was comparable [26,27], and in some instances more stringent [28] than cut off values of studies in similar populations elsewhere.…”

Unmasking emerging issues in solid waste management: Knowledge and self-reported practices on the discarded disposable masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

“…This observation is in consonance with the principles put forward by the theory of “health belief model”, which contend that when an individual is informed about a particular situation, he/she is the inclined toward adopting a positive behavior in approaching that situation. In a similar vein, the theory of “planned behavior” also maintains that the adoption of a good practice depends on an individual's self-efficacy, which is being reinforced by his/her knowledge ( Talla et al., 2017 ). Therefore, the level of knowledge of an individual directly relates to his/her demonstration of (un)acceptable practices in DM waste management.…”

Elimination of Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B in Africa: A Review of Available Tools and New Opportunities

“…Low awareness about HBV prevalence and prevention interventions among providers and the general public in SSA limits uptake. 43,44 This review will focus on the HBV prevention options that are available in SSA – namely, HBV vaccination and HBV-targeted antiviral therapy. 45–50 Gaps in knowledge and research priorities necessary to reach vertical transmission HBV elimination goals in SSA will also be discussed.…”