Assessment of knowledge and treatment practices of hepatitis B infection in children among health professionals in Krachi districts in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Rebecca A. Mpangah; Ernest Akyereko; Gideon K. Acheampong; Michael Ansah-Nyarko; Isaac Owusu; Bismark Sarfo

doi:10.4081/jphia.2023.2469

Authors

Rebecca A. Mpangah Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra; Disease Surveillance Department, Ghana Health Service, Head Quarters, Korlebu-Accra, Ghana. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3416-0662
Ernest Akyereko Disease Surveillance Department, Ghana Health Service, Head Quarters, Korlebu-Accra; Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, Ghana. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2537-4194
Gideon K. Acheampong Disease Surveillance Department, Ghana Health Service, Head Quarters, Korlebu-Accra, Ghana.
Michael Ansah-Nyarko Research Department, Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME), Legon-Accra, Ghana.
Isaac Owusu Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra; Disease Surveillance Department, Ghana Health Service, Head Quarters, Korlebu-Accra, Ghana. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5204-1339
Bismark Sarfo
bsarfo@ug.edu.gh
Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6995-6364

Background. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains one of the neglected infectious diseases. Children infected with HBV are at higher risk of becoming chronic carriers. Barriers to measures against HBV in children are attributed to inadequate knowledge by some health professionals. This study assessed knowledge and treatment practices of HBV in children among health professionals. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health professionals (185) in three districts in Krachi using a structured questionnaire. Stata version 15 was used to analyze participants’ responses on awareness, knowledge, and treatment practices. Pearson’s product-moment correlation was used to determine the relationship between knowledge and treatment practices. Multivariate regression analysis assessed the relationships between variables at P<0.05 and 95% confidence interval. Results. 20% were not aware of HBV in children and 85% had only fair knowledge about HBV in children. Only 29% indicated good knowledge and treatment practices of HBV in children. A unit increase in knowledge of HBV in children leads to a 1.42 unit increase in awareness (P<0.01), and a 1.3 unit increase in treatment practice (P<0.01) of HBV in children. Conclusions. Participants demonstrated only fair knowledge about HBV in children. Seminars and workshops on HBV in children for health professionals must intensify.

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Mpangah, R. A., Akyereko, E., Acheampong, G. K., Ansah-Nyarko, M., Owusu, I., & Sarfo, B. (2023). Assessment of knowledge and treatment practices of hepatitis B infection in children among health professionals in Krachi districts in Ghana: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 14(8). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2023.2469