BackgroundMother -to -Child transmission of hepatitis B infection remains a major public health concern particularly in Africa. Adequate knowledge of physicians and midwives is crucial in averting most of the hepatitis B viral transmissions from mothers to their new-borns. However, there is a dearth of evidence on extent of knowledge of physicians and midwives in Ghana inspite of the increasing incidence of hepatitis B infection in the country. This study therefore assessed the knowledge level of physicians and midwives regarding Mother-to-Child transmission of hepatitis B in the Eastern region of Ghana.MethodsA Cross sectional survey was conducted between August to November, 2015 using semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Study participants were recruited from five health facilities and their level of awareness and knowledge about Mother-to-Child transmission of hepatitis B were assessed. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05 alpha level.ResultsThe findings showed that both physicians and midwives had good knowledge on Mother-to-Child transmission of hepatitis B infection. However, there were some knowledge gaps regarding effective hepatitis B prevention from mother to their newborns such as the use of hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin. Additionally, 49.2 % (n = 62) of the participants had never attended any workshop on Mother-to-Child transmission of hepatitis B since completion of formal training.ConclusionsDeveloping appropriate periodic training programmes on current issues of hepatitis B for physicians and midwives in Eastern region will further enhance their knowledge. It is recommended that, further study examine if the knowledge of the respondents is translated into practice.

Global evidence suggests that hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection is endemic in Africa and perinatal transmission remains one of the most important modes of HBV transmission in this area. This cross-sectional survey examined the seroprevalence and knowledge of hepatitis B among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic (ANC) in a mission hospital in Ghana. Systematic sampling technique was used to recruit 196 pregnant women. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05 alpha level. The hepatitis B prevalence estimate (hepatitis B surface antigen) was 10.2% (N = 20) and all of the participants were aware of HBV infection. Majority cited media (radio) as their main source of information. Approximately 86% of the participants (N = 168) associated HBV infection with a curse and 88.8% (N = 174) indicated witches and wizards as possible causes of the infection. Those with higher level of school education had high hepatitis B knowledge score (P < 0.01). Implementation of a health education program on the route of hepatitis B transmission is required in the study setting. Also, inclusion of hepatitis B education as part of ANC activities will enable HBV-positive pregnant women to appreciate the need for hepatitis B vaccination of their newborns at birth.

This study examines the direct and indirect effects of interpersonal fairness on employees’ willingness-to-stay and organisation-based self-esteem through affective commitment among manufacturing workers in Tema, Ghana. Using the survey design, 300 manufacturing workers in Tema were conveniently sampled for the study. The confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. Results indicated that affective commitment partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal fairness and employees’ willingness-to-stay. Affective commitment also fully mediated the interpersonal fairness-organisation-based self-esteem relationship. Results further showed that organisation-based self-esteem partially mediated the affective commitment and willingness-to-stay relationship, such that, an increase in organisation-based self-esteem leads to a decrease in employees’ willingness-to-stay. These findings emphasised the roles of interpersonal fairness and affective commitment in organisations, where affective commitment increases as a result of an increase in interpersonal fairness and makes employees have an intention-to-stay. The findings imply that employees who are very confident and have higher organisation-based self-esteem stand lower chances of staying in their current organisations. This study is the first to examine how affective commitment transfers the effects of interpersonal fairness unto employees’ intention-to-stay among manufacturing workers in Ghana.

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