A Cross-sectional Assessment of Attitude and Practice towards Hepatitis B among Patients and Their Attendants in a Primary Healthcare Setting in Bangladesh

Background: Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus and constitutes a major public health problem that inflicts substantial damage to the liver. The disease’s progression can culminate in cirrhosis or liver cancer. Evidence have shown that positive attitude towards hepatitis B prevention and control are associated with correct practices. This study aims to evaluate attitude and practices towards hepatitis B among patients and their attendants in a primary healthcare facility in Bangladesh.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire during January and February 2020 among patients and attendants aged ≥18 years attending the outpatient department (OPD) of Savar Upazila Health Complex, Savar, Dhaka. Descriptive statistics were used for elaborating patients’ demographic characteristics. Inferential statistics (Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test) were used for comparison while Spearman’s rho correlation was used to identify association between the study variables.

Results: Among the total 204 respondents, 124 (60.8%) respondents were female with the mean(±SD) age was 36.57 ± 12.83 years. Fifty (24.5%) respondents had higher secondary or more level of education and 102 (50%) respondents were homemaker. Mean scores for attitude and practice were 5.13 ± 1.1 and 4.15± 1.7 respectively. Significant and positive linear correlations between attitude-practice (r = 0.340,p < 0.001) were observed. Education was the only variables significantly associated with mean attitude and practice of the respondents. In addition, the results showed a statistically significant difference in the mean hepatitis B attitude scores among respondents of different religious affiliations.

Conclusion:The results suggest that the overall attitude of the respondents regarding hepatitis B was positive. However, their practices related to hepatitis B were poor, which is alarming. Education was the only significant factor influencing both attitude and practice scores, underscoring the need for targeted interventions, particularly in educational settings.