A cross-sectional survey on the rate of awareness of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission among hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive pregnant women

Abstract

Background: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) remains the main transmission route of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in China. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive pregnant women were the main participants in MTCT of HBV. Nevertheless, little was known about their knowledge and awareness of HBV infection and MTCT. We intended to evaluate their knowledge of HBV infection and MTCT prevention, and to clarify the emphasis of health education to improve the control of MTCT of HBV. Methods:We invited 164 HBsAg-positive pregnant women, who were aged ≥18 years old, had basic literacy skills and visited the Outpatient Clinic of Infectious Disease of the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital from May 2019 to January 2020, to independently and anonymously complete a self-administered survey regarding their knowledge of HBV infection and MTCT prevention. The correct rate of the questions was calculated and analyzed. A multivariate regression was conducted to identify predictors of HBV and MTCT knowledge and awareness. Results:The average awareness rate of the 164 respondents was 52.56%, among which the awareness rates of basic knowledge and the transmission route of HBV were 80.49% and 53.29%, respectively. The awareness rates of knowledge about the interruption measures of MTCT during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum were 43.78%, 49.75%, and 31.25%, respectively. The respondents who had a college education level or above, were employed, and had visited the outpatient Department of Infectious Disease before pregnancy had a significantly higher awareness rate. Previous visits to the Department of Infectious Disease were the only influencing factor for the higher awareness rate (OR =3.108, P=0.049).Conclusions: A lack of knowledge about the transmission route and interruption measures of MTCT of HBV is still common among HBsAg-positive pregnant women. Health education should be directed toward HBsAg-positive mothers to further improve the control of HBV infection.

Sociodemographic Determinants of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Hepatitis B Infection Among Pregnant Women: A Cross-National Study in Jordan

“…Overall, two-thirds of pregnant women had a low level of knowledge about HBV, especially among those who don't work, have no medical study background, live in a rural area, and have no family history of HBV. This unsatisfactory level of knowledge is consistent with other studies [6,10,17,18,20,21]. The majority of respondents were aware of the terms hepatitis and hepatitis B and acknowledged it's a viral disease, which was similar to a study conducted in Saudi Arabia [10], in contrast to another study conducted in Jordan [6].…”

“…Surprisingly, only one-fourth of women asserted that HBV can't be transmitted by food or water prepared by a person infected with HBV. This major defect in knowledge of transmission routes was also observed in other studies [10,17,18,20,21]. As reported by a study conducted in Turkey, increased knowledge of the disease's transmission is associated with a lower risk of getting hepatitis B.…”

“…Furthermore, high levels of awareness about the prevention and spread of hepatitis B are important for encouraging testing and identifying people who are affected. [25] In addition, the majority of the participants claimed that there is a cure for HBV or that it can be cured by itself; this false belief was also reported in a study conducted in China [20]. Moreover, 40% of participants underestimated treatment costs.…”

Influence of language barrier and cultural background in Hepatitis B disease knowledge in a Chinese community of Spain.

“…Our initial hypothesis was that in migrants from areas of high HBV prevalence, language barriers and cultural differences might di cult engagement into local healthcare programs and consequently, decrease awareness on diagnosis and prevention of hepatitis B. (13,14) Contrarily to our hypothesis, we found that Chinese patients were well aware of the routes of HBV transmission. Differences between Chinese and control patients were slight regarding the parenteral route, but patients from China had a signi cantly better knowledge on the potential vertical transmission of the virus.…”

Influence of language barrier and cultural background in hepatitis B disease knowledge in a Chinese community of Spain

“…HBV is a highly transmissible virus and thus, knowledge on the potential mechanisms of transmission and measures to prevent it are relevant. Our initial hypothesis was that in migrants from areas of high HBV prevalence, language barriers and cultural differences might difficult engagement into local healthcare and educational programs and consequently, decrease awareness on diagnosis and prevention of hepatitis B ( 15 , 16 ).…”