Table 2.
Risks associated with HCV infection among prison inmates in Calabar
| Characteristics | Frequency (%) | No. positive (%) | X2 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration in prison (months) | ||||
| ≤ 12 | 85 (59.9) | 35 (41.2) | 0.008* | |
| 13–24 | 30 (21.1) | 4 (13.3) | ||
| 25–36 | 18 (12.7) | 3 (16.7) | ||
| 37–48 | 3 (2.1) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| ≥ 49 | 6 (4.2) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Previous incarceration | ||||
| Yes | 22 (15.5) | 8 (36.4) | 0.576 | 0.448 |
| No | 120 (84.5) | 34 (28.3) | ||
| Presence of tatoo/scarification | ||||
| Yes | 34 (23.9) | 8 (23.5) | 0.785 | 0.376 |
| No | 108 (76.1) | 34 (31.5) | ||
| Previous blood transfusion | ||||
| Yes | 15 (10.6) | 5 (33.3) | 0.768* | |
| No | 127 (89.4) | 37 (29.1) | ||
| History of surgery | ||||
| Yes | 18 (12.7) | 7 (38.9) | 0.858 | 0.354 |
| No | 124 (87.3) | 35 (28.2) | ||
| Injection drug use | ||||
| Yes | 27 (19.0) | 8 (29.6) | 0.000 | 1.000 |
| No | 115 (81.0) | 34 (29.6) | ||
| Sexual experience | ||||
| Yes | 141 (99.3) | 42 (29.8) | 1.000* | |
| No | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Multiple sex partner | ||||
| Yes | 99 (69.7) | 28 (28.3) | 0.263 | 0.608 |
| No | 43 (30.3) | 14 (32.6) | ||
| History of STI | ||||
| Yes | 32 (22.5) | 8 (25.0) | 0.416 | 0.519 |
| No | 110 (77.5) | 34 (30.9) | ||
| Sharing of shaving equipment | ||||
| Yes | 52 (36.6) | 11 (21.2) | 2.795 | 0.095 |
| No | 90 (63.4) | 31 (34.4) | ||
| Needle and syringe sharing | ||||
| Yes | 13 (9.2) | 5 (38.5) | 0.768 | |
| No | 129 (90.8) | 37 (28.7) | ||
All results are Chi square except where indicated with asterisk (*) for Fisher exact test