Knowledge and Attitude Towards Hepatitis B among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics at Tripoli University Hospital, 2016-2017

الملخص

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major public health problems in the world. Libya is, considered
an area of intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B with mother to child HBV transmission remains an important
mode of transmission. Awareness of pregnant women about hepatitis B and the knowledge that it can be prevented
through vaccination is important for the effective control of the disease. Hence, the study conducted to assess
knowledge and attitude of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic (ANC) in the Tripoli Medical Centre
This was a cross-sectional study conducted at ANC in Tripoli Medical Center, Libya, between 21st December 2016
and 13th April 2017, including 342 pregnant women attending ANC at Tripoli University Hospital. Knowledge and
attitude (KA) regarding HBV were assessed using a standardized structured questionnaire. Data was entered and
analyzed by excel program using frequencies and percentages.
A total of 342 pregnant women were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 31.2±6.4 years and the majority of
the women was from Tripoli. Only (46.8%) of pregnant women had demonstrated an adequate knowledge towards
HBV, and 86.3% of the pregnant women had positive attitude regarding HBV.
The study indicates a poor level of knowledge among pregnant women with regards to several aspects of HBV.
Hence, there arises a need for policy guidelines along with extensive health education campaigns to manage all
aspects of KA of pregnant women regarding HBV