Knowledge about hepatitis B and influencing factors among the residents in Qingdao: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION

This study investigated the status of knowledge on hepatitis B among the residents in Qingdao and provided a reference for improving relevant public awareness strategies.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional study was conducted by an online questionnaire on the WeChat platform. Chi-square test was used to compare the hepatitis B influencing factors between subgroups. Binary logistic regression was used for multiple factor analysis to explore the influencing factors.

RESULTS

The total awareness rate of hepatitis B was 79.6% among the 3261 qualified online questionnaires. Logistic regression showed that females (OR = 1.843, 95% CI: 1.547- 2.196), aged between 51 and 60 (OR = 2.323, 95% CI: 1.409-3.829), married (OR = 1.699, 95% CI: 1.335-2.162), and worked in government-affiliated departments were the influencing factors for the knowledge about hepatitis B.

CONCLUSIONS

The residents of Qingdao had incomplete knowledge about hepatitis B. Females, aged between 51 and 60, married, and those who worked in government-affiliated departments were found to have higher awareness rate than other subgroups. The government and related departments should pay more attention in educating the sub-groups that lack hepatitis B knowledge.