| dc.description.abstract | Background: the most common cause of serious liver infection is hepatitis B. Contact with an infected person during childbirth and various horizontal modes of transmission, such as
sexual exposure with an infected person or direct contact with an infected person’s blood, are
all factors that raise the chance of HBV infection.
Objectives: the major aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of HBV infection,
associated and other risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Lira
regional referral hospital.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on pregnant women in lira regional referral
hospital between the month of October and November 2021. Study participants were selected
using simple random sampling particularly systematic sampling technique and a total of 160
pregnant women were included. Socio-demographic data and exposure to associated and
other factors (number of Sexual partners, history of hospital admission and hepatitis B
positive family member history. inability to vaccinate against HBV, inadequate health
education on HBV and lack of HBV screening services.) were collected through a structured
questionnaire. Two milliliters of blood were collected from each study participant. Serum
level hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) were detected using HbsAg rapid diagnostic test
kit. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.To declare the presence of
association odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and P value <0.05 were considered
statistically significant.
Result: A total of 160 pregnant women with the mean age of 25 years were enrolled. The
prevalence of HbsAg among the participants was 8.7% with 95% confidence interval (6.52,
10.98). Statistically significant association for HbsAg infection was observed for Hepatitis B
positive family history p=0.032, COR- 3.771(1.045-13.615), AOR- 1.962 (0.472-8.159) and
hospital admission history p=0.001, COR- 7.259 (1.935-27.226), AOR- 6.436 (1.567-
26.433).
Conclusion and recommendations: an intermediate prevalence of HbsAg infection, which
was an important public health problem was detected. Therefore implementing strategies for
routine mandatory screening and care of pregnant women for hepatitis B would be important.
Further, health education modes of transmission and precautions such as immunization of
HBV has to be strengthened.
Keywords: hepatitis B virus, Risk factors, HbsAg, pregnant women. | en_US |
