Assessment of attitude towards Hepatitis B virus.

Background and aims Healthcare staff are at high risk of occupational exposure to Hepatitis B and other blood-borne diseases. Lack of education about the knowledge of Hepatitis B virus contributes to an increase in cases. This study aims to determine the knowledge of the Hepatitis B virus among the medical professionals in Duhok province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to determine their knowledge of the importance of vaccination. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, among medical science students from November 2022 to February 2023 and a total of 511 students participated in the study. A Self-administered questionnaire comprising 22 items categorized into five sections was distributed to the students either electronically or by paper and pen method. The survey utilized a Five-point Likert scale when assessing respondents’ opinions on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism 9 were used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 511 responses were collected from medical, dental, pharmacy, and laboratory students. The average age of the participants was 20.74 ±1.43 years. Among the respondents, only 96 (18.8%) were fully vaccinated against the Hepatitis B virus (received 3 or more doses of the vaccine), while 294 (57.5%) were not vaccinated. Lack of vaccination programs was the major reason for not receiving a vaccination (n = 182, 62%). About 286 (55.96%) of the participants had good knowledge, attitude, and practice on Hepatitis B, manifesting median scores of 26, 18, and 20, respectively. Conclusion In our study, half of the students were found to be unvaccinated, mainly due to the absence of vaccination programs. Vaccinated students exhibited better knowledge, attitude, and practice toward the infection than non-vaccinated students. Therefore, we recommend the implementation of a vaccination program as well as training on infection prevention guidelines to increase awareness and encourage vaccination.研究背景与目的 医护人员职业暴露感染乙型肝炎病毒（Hepatitis B virus）及其他血源性传染病的风险居高。针对乙型肝炎病毒相关知识的健康教育缺失，会导致感染病例数上升。本研究旨在明确伊拉克库尔德斯坦地区杜胡克省医疗相关从业者对乙型肝炎病毒的认知情况，以及他们对疫苗接种重要性的认知水平。 材料与方法 本研究为横断面研究，于2022年11月至2023年2月在伊拉克库尔德斯坦地区杜胡克省面向医学生开展，共计511名学生参与本次调研。研究采用自填式调查问卷，包含22个条目，划分为5个部分，通过电子问卷或纸笔作答的方式发放给学生。在评估受访者对乙型肝炎的知识、态度与实践（Knowledge, Attitude and Practice, KAP）时，本调查采用李克特五点量表（Five-point Likert scale）进行评分。统计分析采用Microsoft Excel与GraphPad Prism 9软件完成。 结果 本次研究共回收来自医学、口腔医学、药学及检验医学专业学生的有效问卷511份。参与者的平均年龄为20.74±1.43岁。其中仅96名（18.8%）受试者完成乙型肝炎病毒疫苗全程接种（接种3剂及以上疫苗），294名（57.5%）未接种该疫苗。未接种的主要原因为缺乏疫苗接种计划（n=182，62%）。约286名（55.96%）受试者对乙型肝炎具备良好的知识、态度与实践水平，其知识、态度、实践得分的中位数分别为26、18和20。 结论 本研究发现，半数学生未完成乙型肝炎疫苗接种，主要原因是当地缺乏疫苗接种服务计划。完成全程接种的学生相较于未接种者，对该传染病的知识掌握、态度认知与实践行为均更优异。据此，本研究建议推行针对性疫苗接种计划，并开展感染防控指南相关培训，以提升大众认知水平、推动疫苗接种工作落实。