Abstract:
Background: Prevention is one of the safe schemes against the high prevalence
of viral Hepatitis. Negative perceptions or perceptions about the risks of
hepatitis B among medical students and health care workers may influence
the behavioral pattern and adoption of preventive measures against the virus
and can affect the uptake of the Hepatitis B vaccine. This study assesses the
perception of medical students towards Hepatitis B virus infection and Hepatitis
B Vaccination in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Jos North Local Government,
Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study
done in August 2021 among 236 clinical medical students using a multistage
sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered
structured questionnaire and analysed using the IBM SPSS 28 (Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences). Ethical approval was granted by Bingham
University Teaching Hospital, Ethics Committee, Jos, Plateau State. Results:
Two-thirds of respondents were of the opinion that they are at risk of contracting
HBV. Half were of the opinion that the risk is very much while a
third believed the risk is moderate. Among those who think they are not at
risk of contracting HBV, the majority felt so because they are vaccinated
while 10.3% believe that they are safe. 43.2% of respondents think that HBV
Vaccine is very effective in preventing HBV infection while 39.8% think it is
slightly effective, and 7.6% think it is not effective. Almost all respondents,
99.2% are of the opinion that HBV Vaccination is important for students
while 0.8% think it is not important. The majority of the respondents at 95.8%
were willing to be screened for HBV. The majority (85.6%) of respondents are
willing to pay for HBV Vaccine as against 14.4% of respondents who are notwilling to pay. Conclusion: Summarily, 21 (8.9%) of the students had a negative
perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination, and 215 (91.1%) had a positive
perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination. Perception-sustaining events like seminars,
workshops, road shows, and campaigns should be organized among
students and health workers.
