Scientific African (Sep 2023)
Knowledge, attitude and practice of hepatitis C virus among waste handlers in Sidama, Ethiopia
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide community health problem that gives rise to liver cancer. Even though the prevalence of HCV is higher and waste handlers are at high risk for HCV, there is a paucity of information on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) concerning HCV among waste handlers. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of waste handlers in Sidama, Ethiopia. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study with simple random sampling was conducted from October 2021 to 30 July 2022 in different public hospitals of Sidama region of Ethiopia. Two hundred and eighty-two waste handlers were selected for the study which was aimed to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and practice on hepatitis C virus using a standardized structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were conducted using SPSS version 20 set at 95% CI. Spearman's rho correlation was used to evaluate the association between KAP with p-value ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Mean scores for knowledge, attitude and practice were 22.24±8.15, 46.75±10 and 4.19±1.72, respectively. Educational level (OR = 2.427; 95%CI = [1.116 –37.89], P = 0.042), monthly income(OR = 1.001; 95%CI = [1.000–10.002], P = 0.029), use of media(OR = 2.461; 95%CI = [2.688–8.799], P = 0.006), marital status(OR = 22.961; 95%CI = [1.203–38.157], P = 0.037) and residence(OR = 6.332; 95%CI = [1.703–23.544], P = 0.006) contributed significantly to the prediction of knowledge. Spearman rank correlation revealed significant positive correlations between knowledge-attitude (r = 0.57, P< 0.037), knowledge-practice (r = 0.265, P = 0.00) and attitude-practice (r = 0.72, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Although the study highlighted optimal KAP regarding several aspects of HCV, educational campaigns should emphasize the necessity of continued education about HCV to improve attitudes, knowledge and practices of waste handlers.
