Table 1.
Baseline knowledge of study participants on various aspects of hepatitis B (n=363)
| Variable | Medical students (n=180) n (%) | Nursing students (n=183) n (%) | Total (n=363) n (%) | P value# |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is hepatitis B | ||||
| Identified as viral disease only | 71 (39.5) | 51 (27.8) | 122 (33.6) | <0.001 |
| Identified as liver pathology only | 4 (2.2) | 25 (13.7) | 29 (8.0) | |
| Both | 99 (55.0) | 62 (33.9) | 161 (44.4) | |
| Don’t know | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.6) | 3 (0.8) | |
| Incorrectly defined | 6 (3.3) | 42 (23.0) | 48 (13.2) | |
| Screening test± | ||||
| Correctly answered | 136 (75.6) | 87 (47.5) | 223 (61.4) | <0.001 |
| Incorrectly answered | 38 (21.1) | 41 (22.4) | 79 (21.8) | |
| Not answered | 6 (3.3) | 55 (30.1) | 61 (16.8) | |
| Diagnostic test£ | ||||
| Correctly answered | 116 (64.5) | 8 (4.4) | 124 (34.2) | <0.001 |
| Incorrectly answered | 47 (26.1) | 91 (49.7) | 138 (38.0) | |
| Not answered | 17 (9.4) | 84 (45.9) | 101 (27.8) | |
| Compulsory notification of hepatitis B | ||||
| Yes | 139 (77.2) | 173 (94.5) | 312 (86.0) | <0.001 |
| No | 32 (17.8) | 1 (0.6) | 33 (9.1) | |
| Don’t know | 1 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.2) | |
| Not answered | 8 (4.4) | 9 (4.9) | 17 (4.7) | |
| Healthcare worker as a high-risk group | ||||
| Yes | 177 (98.3) | 151 (82.5) | 328 (90.4) | <0.001 |
| No | 2 (1.1) | 13 (7.1) | 15 (4.1) | |
| Not answered | 1 (0.6) | 19 (10.4) | 20 (5.5) | |
| Mandatory screening of blood for hepatitis B at blood banks | ||||
| Yes | 178 (98.8) | 151 (82.5) | 329 (90.6) | <0.001 |
| No | 1 (0.6) | 13 (7.1) | 14 (3.9) | |
| Not answered | 1 (0.6) | 19 (10.4) | 20 (5.5) | |
| Immunization as the best method to eliminate hepatitis B | ||||
| Correctly answered | 122 (67.8) | 84 (45.9) | 206 (56.7) | <0.001 |
| Incorrectly answered | 51 (28.3) | 51 (27.9) | 102 (28.1) | |
| Not answered | 7 (3.9) | 42 (23.0) | 49 (13.5) | |
| Don’t know | 0 (0.0) | 6 (3.2) | 6 (1.7) | |
| Availability of a vaccine for hepatitis B | ||||
| Yes | 177 (98.3) | 159 (86.9) | 336 (92.6) | <0.001 |
| No | 3 (1.7) | 9 (4.9) | 12 (3.3) | |
| Not answered | 0 (0.0) | 15 (8.2) | 15 (4.1) | |
±HBsAg ₤HBV-DNA test, #P value calculated either by chi-square or fisher exact test