Correlation of literacy and awareness regarding hepatitis C: a survey of family members of hepatitis C patients’

  • Dr Irfan Younus Nawaz Sharif Medical College, University of Gujrat, Pakistan
  • Dr Shahid Sarwar Gujranwala Medical College, Gujranwala, Pakistan
  • Dr Adnan Qaadir Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan
  • Dr Zamir Butt Nawaz Sharif Medical College, University of Gujrat, Pakistan
  • Dr Aisha Nazir Nawaz Sharif Medical College, University of Gujrat, Pakistan
  • Dr Afzal Choudry Nawaz Sharif Medical College, University of Gujrat, Pakistan
Keywords: Awareness, Knowledge, Hepatitis C, Misconceptions, Education

Abstract

Objective: To determine the knowledge among family members of Hepatitis C patients and correlate it with their educational status.

Study Design: A cross sectional observational study.

Place and Duration: Outpatient department of Aziz BhattiShaheed Teaching hospital, Gujrat from 1st January 2015 to 31st march 2015.

Methodology: Data was collected to assess the fundamental knowledge and mode of transmission in people coming with HCV infected patients. Collected data was analyzed by SPSS V.20.

Results: Two hundred and forty one participants were included in study with mean age of 33 years (+11.940 SD). Male to female ratio was 3.30:1, 65.98% married and 104 were below matric (SSC). Two hundred twenty (90%) attendants knew that HCV can cause chronic inflammation, liver failure and liver cancer. Sixty three (26%) assumed it to be a bacterial infection. 164 (Sixty eight %) thought vaccine is available. More than 90 % of attendants knew that it is transmitted through sharing or reuse of syringes 236 (97.9%), blood transfusion without screening 235 (97.5%) and needle stick injuries 225 (93.4%). Two hundred thirty two (96.3 %) disagreed its transmission through holding hands, hugging and kissing. Ninety (37.3%) and fifty five (22.8%) assumed its spread through drinking polluted and unsafe sex respectively. Seventy (29%) disagreed its spread perinataly and contact with open wound. Male and above matric participants have significantly better knowledge (<0.05).

Conclusion: Awareness about HCV among attendants of hepatitis C infected patients was inadequate and has lot of misconceptions especially among females and less educated people.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Jamil MS, Ali H, Shaheen R, Basit A. Prevalence, knowledge and awareness of hepatitis C among residents of three Union Councils in Mansehra. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2010 Jul-Sep;22(3):192-6. [PubMed]

2. Ali SA, Donahue RM, Qureshi H, Vermund SH. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Pakistan: prevalence and risk factors. Int J Infect Dis. 2009 Jan;13(1):9-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2008.06.019. Epub 2008 Oct 2. [PubMed]

3. Huda WU, Jameel N, Fasih U, Rehman A, Shaikh A. Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C in Urban Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery. Pak J Ophthalmol 2013; 29 (3): 147-50.

4. Mitchell AE, Colvin HM, Palmer Beasley R. Institute of Medicine recommendations for the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C. Hepatology. 2010 Mar;51(3):729-33. doi: 10.1002/hep.23561.

5. Lim VK, Teo TS, Teo AC, Tan KT. HIV and youths in Singapore--knowledge, attitudes and willingness to work with HIV-infected persons. Singapore Med J. 1999 Jun;40(6):410-5. [PubMed]

6. Heijnders M, Van Der Meij S. The fight against stigma: an overview of stigma-reduction strategies and interventions. Psychol Health Med. 2006 Aug;11(3):353-63.

7. Krauskopf K, McGinn TG, Federman AD, Halm EA, Leventhal H, McGinn LK, Gardenier D, Oster A, Kronish IM. HIV and HCV health beliefs in an inner-city community. J Viral Hepat. 2011 Nov;18(11):785-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2010.01383.x. Epub 2010 Oct 18. [PubMed]

8. Muñoz Sastre MT, Bacq Y, Mullet E, Sorum PC. Misconceptions regarding hepatitis C in the French public. Prev Med. 2002 Jun;34(6):596-9. [PubMed]

9. van der Veen YJ, Voeten HA, de Zwart O, Richardus JH. Awareness, knowledge and self-reported test rates regarding Hepatitis B in Turkish-Dutch: a survey. BMC Public Health. 2010 Aug 24;10:512. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-512.

10. Chao J, Chang ET, So SK (2010) Hepatitis B and liver cancer knowledge and practices among healthcare and public health professionals in China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 10: 98. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-98.

11. Razi A, Rehman R, Naz S, Ghafoor F, Khan M A. Knowledge attitude and practices of university students regarding hepatitis B and C. ARPN J Agricul and Bio Sci. 2010; 5(4): 38-43. ISSN 1990-6145.

12. Ghahramani F, Mohammad beigi A, Mohammad salehi N.A Survey of the Students' Knowledge about Hepatitis in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Hepatitis monthly.2006; 6(2): 59-62.

13. Jamil MS, Ali H, Shaheen R, Basit A. Prevalence, knowledge and awareness of hepatitis C among residents of three Union Councils in Mansehra. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2010 Jul-Sep;22(3):192-6.

14. Anjum Q, Siddiqui H, Ahmed Y, Rizvi SR, Usman Y. Knowledge of students regarding hepatitis and HIV/AIDS of a private medical university in Karachi. J Pak Med Assoc. 2005 Jul;55(7):285-8.

15. Gambhir R., Kapoor V., Jindal G., Garg S., Setia S., Setia S. Attitudes and awareness regarding Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C amongst health-care workers of a tertiary Hospital in India. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research. 2013;3(4):551–558. doi. 10.4103/2141-9248.122105.

16. Bari A, Akhtar S, Rahbar MH, Luby SP. Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection in male adults in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan. Trop Med Int Health. 2001 Sep;6(9):732-8. [PubMed]

17. Previsani N, Lavanchy, D. WHO/CDS/CSR/LYO/2002.2: Hepatitis B. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002. Hepatitis B.

18. Raja NS, Janjua KA. Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Pakistan. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2008 Feb;41(1):4-8. [PubMed]

19. Conte D, Fraquelli M, Prati D, Colucci A, Minola E. Prevalence and clinical course of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and rate of HCV vertical transmission in a cohort of 15,250 pregnant women. Hepatology. 2000 Mar;31(3):751-5.

20. Mast EE, Hwang LY, Seto DS, Nolte FS, Nainan OV, Wurtzel H, Alter MJ. Risk factors for perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the natural history of HCV infection acquired in infancy. J Infect Dis. 2005;192:1880-9 PMID: 16267758 doi: 10.1086/497701.

21. Kao JH, Liu CJ, Chen PJ, Chen W, Lai MY, Chen DS. Low incidence of hepatitis C virus transmission between spouses: a prospective study. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2000 Apr;15(4):391-5.

22. Marincovich B, Castilla J, del Romero J, García S, Hernando V, Raposo M, Rodríguez C. Absence of hepatitis C virus transmission in a prospective cohort of heterosexual serodiscordant couples. Sex Transm Infect. 2003 Apr;79(2):160-2. [PubMed]

23. McMahon JM, Pouget ER, Tortu S. Individual and couple-level risk factors for hepatitis C infection among heterosexual drug users: a multilevel dyadic analysis. J Infect Dis. 2007 Jun 1;195(11):1572-81. Epub 2007 Apr 16. [PubMed]

24. Eguchi H, Wada K (2013) Knowledge of HBV and HCV and Individuals’ Attitudes Toward HBV- and HCV-Infected Colleagues: A National Cross Sectional Study among a Working Population in Japan. PLoS ONE 8(9): e76921. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076921. [PubMed]

25. Corrigan PW, Watson AC, Warpinski AC, Gracia G. Implications of educating the public on mental illness, violence, and stigma. Psychiatr Serv. 2004 May;55(5):577-80. [PubMed]

26. Hoa NP, Diwan VK, Co NV, Thorson AE. Knowledge about tuberculosis and its treatment among new pulmonary TB patients in the north and central regions of Vietnam. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2004 May;8(5):603-8.

27. Ataei B, Meidani M, Khosravi M, Khorvash F, Akbari M. Knowledge, attitude, and performance of medical staff of teaching healthcare settings about hepatitis B and C in Isfahan, Iran. Adv Biomed Res. 2014 Dec 31;3:267. doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.148249. eCollection 2014.
Correlation of literacy and awareness regarding hepatitis C: a survey of family members of hepatitis C patients’
CITATION
DOI: 10.17511/ijmrr.2016.i09.10
Published: 2016-09-30
How to Cite
1.
Younus I, Sarwar S, Qaadir A, Butt Z, Nazir A, Choudry A. Correlation of literacy and awareness regarding hepatitis C: a survey of family members of hepatitis C patients’. Int J Med Res Rev [Internet]. 2016Sep.30 [cited 2024Nov.23];4(9):1576-81. Available from: https://ijmrr.medresearch.in/index.php/ijmrr/article/view/688
Section
Original Article