MINISTRY OF HEALTH UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING - MINISTRY OF HEALTH HANOI UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOULIKONE PHAVONGXAY KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEPATITIS B VIRUS PREVENTION AMONG ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL (ARMY HEADQUARTERS 605) IN VIENTIANE CAPITAL, LAO PDR IN 2019 MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH CODE: 8720701 HANOI, 2020 MINISTRY OF HEALTH UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING - MINISTRY OF HEALTH HANOI UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOULIKONE PHAVONGXAY KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEPATITIS B VIRUS PREVENTION AMONG ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL (ARMY HEADQUARTERS 605) IN VIENTIANE CAPITAL, LAO PDR IN 2019 MASTERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CODE: 8720701 SUPERVISORS: KONGMANY CHALEUNVONG, PhD DR. LE THI KIM ANH MD, PhD VICE DIRECTOR INSTITUTE OF DEPARTMENT OF BIOSTATISTICS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOUNDATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF SCEINCES, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES PUBLIC HEALTH HANOI, 2020 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This independent study would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. I am very thankful to the Ministry of Health of the Lao PDR and the LEARN project for funding my studies at the University of Health Sciences in Laos and the Hanoi University of Public Health in Vietnam. The assistance of the Department of Personal Health, Ministry of Health is also gratefully acknowledged for allowing me to study at the University of Health Sciences in Laos and the Hanoi University of Public Health in Vietnam.
I would like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Kongmany Chaleunvong, the Vice Director of the Institute of Research and Education Development, University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lao PDR and Dr. Le Thi Kim Anh, MD, PhD, from the Department of Biostatistics, Health Data Science, Faculty of Foundational Sciences, Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), Vietnam, who steered me in the right direction whenever needed. I would like to acknowledge the valuable comments and encouragement from the examination chair of my Independent Study Committee and I also wish to thank the external members of the Independent Study Committee.
I am most grateful to the leadership and personnel of the 605th Army Headquarters, who kindly agreed to help and participate in this research. This study could not have been completed without their generous assistance. I am grateful as well to all the lecturers, teachers and staff of the UHS and HUPH for their continuous assistance and helpful advice. I would like to thank my classmates for their kindness during my studies at UHS and HUPH.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love, understanding, support, and encouragement during the time I was studying in Laos and Vietnam. Soulikone Phavongxay ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .i TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF FIGURES .2 Definitions of knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention .4 Factors associated with knowledge of- and attitudes towards HBV prevention11 1.2 Study site and duration.6 Data collection method .1 Demographic information of participants .2 Knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention .3 Factors related to knowledge of HBV prevention .4 Multiple logistic regression analysis of dependent and independent variables44 CHAPTER 4 .51 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 62 Annex 2: Certificate of approval.
72 Annex 3: Consent form. 74 Annex 4: Thesis comments. 76 Annex 5: Minutes of explanation after thesis defence. 83 iv ABBREVIATIONS DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid HBV Hepatitis B Virus KAP Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Lao PDR Lao People‟s Democratic Republic UN United Nations WHO World Health Organization LSB Lao Statistics Bureau v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.2 Distribution of sources of information on HBV prevention .3 Distribution of information on social factors relating to HBV prevention .4 Knowledge of the nature of HBV .5 Level of knowledge of nature of HBV .6 Knowledge of HBV transmission .7 Level of knowledge of HBV transmission.8 Knowledge of HBV prevention .9 Level of knowledge of HBV prevention .10 Knowledge of nature, transmission and prevention of HBV .11 Attitudes towards HBV prevention .12 Level of attitudes towards HBV prevention .13a Association of knowledge level of HBV prevention with individual factors .14 Association of knowledge of HBV prevention with social factors .15 Association of knowledge of HBV prevention with sources of information on HBV prevention .16 Association of knowledge of HBV prevention with individual factors…………………………………………………………………………….17a Association of attitudes towards HBV prevention with individual factors and family factors .18 Association of attitudes towards HBV prevention and social factors .19 Association of attitudes towards HBV prevention with sources of information on HBV.
49 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework: Knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention among armed forces personnel (Army Headquarters 605) in Vientiane Capital, 2019.13 viii SUMMARY Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health problem especially in low to low-middle income countries, which account for 90% of the total number of global HBV-infected patients. Military personnel in the Lao PDR may often risk being infected because of their living in close quarters with others in camp, sharing personal items and equipment and frequent participation in blood donation drives. Also, they are often less educated; thus, their knowledge of HBV infection is inadequate. Although several studies have reported the prevalence of HBV infections among different risk groups, there has been no published data among military camps in the country, hence this research on the knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention among armed forces personnel in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR in 2019.
This analytic, cross-sectional study explores knowledge and attitudes in relation to HBV prevention and identifies associated factors of armed forces personnel. Some 422 members of Army Headquarters 605 in Xaithany District were selected through systematic random sampling and interviewed with a questionnaire. The results indicate that the majority of the respondents show a very limited knowledge of the nature of HBV and its transmission, with only a marginally higher proportion understanding HBV prevention. Most of the respondents, however, had positive attitudes towards HBV prevention.
Overall, the knowledge of HBV nature, transmission and prevention of this military group remains limited, possibly due to regimentation preventing easy access to information. The findings have added insights into how HBV infection is perceived and how it is prevented by these army personnel. Agencies concerned should be prompted to increase this awareness among not just the armed forces but also the general populace as well as their knowledge and understanding of the occurrence and prevention not just of hepatitis B infection but of other diseases as well. 1 INTRODUCTION Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is considered to be a global public health problem, especially in low to low-middle income countries because these countries account for 90% of the total number of global HBV-infected patients.
The virus is transmitted through contact with blood or other bodily fluids such as vaginal fluids, semen and mucous membranes of an infected person. For example, HBV can be transmitted from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission), by sexual contact with an infected person, by using infected needles and by infected blood transfusions, especially mother-to-infant transmission. Unlike other sexually transmitted diseases, HBV can be prevented by vaccines (WHO, 2012). Humans are the only known host of HBV, which is an important cause of liver cancer or liver cirrhosis.
More than a third of the world‟s population has been infected with HBV at some stage during their lives. Half of the estimated 350 million chronic HBV carriers worldwide live in the Asia-Pacific region. Nearly 40% of these individuals will die of liver-related complications or regression hepatocellular carcinoma (Lavanchy, 2004). In Lao PDR, HBV infection is a public health problem.
Approximately 50% of adults are infected by the virus and the chronic infection rate is approximately 10%. In addition, around 8% of blood donors are chronic carriers of HBV, which is a rather substantial percentage of those who have donated blood. The government is trying its best to encourage Lao citizens to acknowledge the disease and to address its danger, but the prevalence and incidence of HBV infection remains high. This could be caused by insufficient knowledge of HBV infection and the lack of a proactive attitude on HBV prevention in communities.
Since 2001, there has been a phased introduction of HBV vaccination into the national immunization schedule. Currently, infants are scheduled to receive the HBV birth dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by multiple HBV vaccinations at the ages of 6, 10 and 14 weeks in 2 combination with diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and Hemophilic influenza B vaccines (DTP- HepB-Hib) (WHO, 2011; LSB, 2012). The HBV vaccination at birth, followed by a timely three-dose schedule, is assumed to be 70 to 95% effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV (WHO, 2007; Centers for Disease Control, 2012). It is believed that most infections occur during early childhood, e., during birth or early family life.
If infected at birth, children have a 90% risk of developing chronic infection. This rate decreases to 30% if infected between the ages of 1 and 5, and to 5 to 10% if infected after the age of 5 (Angham, 2018). Moreover, HBV infection remains highly contagious and transmitted through parenteral, sexual and vertical (perinatal transmission) routes. An improved understanding of HBV infection routes among the population will enable the reduction of the risk of HBV infection, which is especially true for young people serving in the military.
In most cases people living in military camps may be more predisposed to HBV transmission through some common routes. In everyday life, they are more likely to be infected by HBV, especially because they are not aware of its dangers. Sharing personal items and toiletries such as hair-brushes, combs, razors and toothbrushes is common amongst people living in groups and it can facilitate the virus transmission. In addition, people in the armed forces usually participate in blood donation drives in the Lao PDR, and sometimes they are diagnosed with HBV infection through these campaigns.
They are often less educated; thus, their knowledge of HBV infection is inadequate. Although several studies reported the prevalence of HBV infections among different risk groups, to date there is no published data about HBV prevalence among military camps in the country. Therefore, this research aims to focus on the knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention among armed forces personnel in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR in 2019. 3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1) To describe the knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention among personnel of the armed forces in Vientiane Capital in 2019.
2) To identify factors associated with the knowledge of and attitudes towards HBV prevention among personnel of the armed forces in Vientiane Capital in 2019. 4 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Characteristics of HBV Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease caused by HBV. The virus is transmitted through human body fluids such as blood and serum.
It is an alarming public health problem worldwide. Its methods of transmission include mother to baby transmission (perinatal), sexual contact, and the use of improper injection techniques. More than two billion people among the population alive today have been infected at some point or other in their lives by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and approximately 350 million of them are carriers of this chronic disease. Out of this population, 25-30% will die as a consequence of the infection.
These carriers run a severe risk of dying from liver cirrhosis and/or primary liver cancer. They also constitute a reservoir of infected individuals, who perpetuate the infection from generation to generation (WHO, 2003). An estimated 70% of healthy adults with acute HBV infections are asymptomatic, and the remainder have symptoms of liver diseases (e., abdominal pain, jaundice).5% of acute HBV infections are fatal. The progression to chronic HBV (infection beyond six months) varies dramatically depending on the age at the time of the initial infection.