Environment and Safety Division, Kyocera Corporation Shiga-Gamou Plant, Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan.
PLoS One. 2013 Sep 26;8(9):e76921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076921. eCollection 2013.
Prejudice and discrimination in the workplace regarding the risk of transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are increased by excess concerns due to a lack of relevant knowledge. Education to increase knowledge about HBV and HCV and their prevention could be the first step to reduce prejudice and discrimination. This study aimed to determine the association between the level of knowledge and negative attitudes toward HBV- and HCV-infected colleagues among the Japanese working population. An online anonymous nationwide survey involving about 3,000 individuals was conducted in Japan. The questionnaire consisted of knowledge of HBV and HCV, and attitudes toward HBV- and HCV-infected colleagues in the workplace. Knowledge was divided into three categories: "ensuring daily activities not to be infected"; "risk of infection"; and "characteristics of HBV/HCV hepatitis", based on the result of factor analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied. A total of 3,129 persons responded to the survey: 36.0% reported they worried about the possibility of transmission of HBV and HCV from infected colleagues; 32.1% avoided contact with infected colleagues; and 23.7% had prejudiced opinions about HBV and HCV infection. The participants were classified into tertiles. A higher level of knowledge of HBV and HCV was significantly associated with these three negative attitudes (P for trend < 0.005). This study suggests that increasing knowledge may decrease individuals' negative attitudes towards HBV- and HCV-infected colleagues. Thus, we should promote increased knowledge of HBV and HCV in stages to reduce negative attitudes toward HBV- and HCV-infected colleagues.
工作场所中对乙型肝炎病毒 (HBV) 和丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) 传播风险的偏见和歧视因缺乏相关知识而增加了过度的担忧。增加对 HBV 和 HCV 及其预防的了解的教育可能是减少偏见和歧视的第一步。本研究旨在确定日本工作人群中对 HBV 和 HCV 感染同事的知识水平与负面态度之间的关系。在日本进行了一项涉及约 3000 人的在线匿名全国性调查。问卷包括 HBV 和 HCV 的知识以及对工作场所中 HBV 和 HCV 感染同事的态度。根据因子分析的结果，知识分为三类：“确保日常活动不被感染”；“感染风险”；“HBV/HCV 肝炎的特征”。应用多因素逻辑回归分析。共有 3129 人对调查做出了回应：36.0%的人报告说他们担心感染同事可能传播 HBV 和 HCV；32.1%的人避免与感染同事接触；23.7%的人对 HBV 和 HCV 感染有偏见。参与者被分为三组。HBV 和 HCV 知识水平较高与这三种负面态度显著相关（趋势 P<0.005）。本研究表明，增加知识可能会降低个人对 HBV 和 HCV 感染同事的负面态度。因此，我们应该分阶段提高对 HBV 和 HCV 的认识，以减少对 HBV 和 HCV 感染同事的负面态度。
