College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
East Mediterr Health J. 2024 Jan 21;30(1):22-31. doi: 10.26719/emhj.24.001.
Hepatitis C affects nearly 58 million people worldwide, the majority of whom live in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. There is limited data about hepatitis C disease or its knowledge in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This study assessed knowledge about hepatitis C and barriers to screening for it in the UAE.
This exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study evaluated 1083 participants using a convenience sampling method. Participants aged 18 and above, literate in English or Arabic, were included in the study. The validated questionnaire was administered online and distributed across social media platforms from November 2020 to February 2021 and responses were analysed using Python.
Mean knowledge score was 11.83 (SD = 7.28). Knowledge was average with 57.52% (n = 489 of 850) of respondents achieving a moderate knowledge score, but poor awareness about treatment options were noted. Only 54.12% (n = 460 of 850) were aware that treatment was possible and 24.10% (n = 205 of 850) knew that there was no vaccine for hepatitis C. Field of work (P < 0.001), marital status (P < 0.001) and perceived knowledge (P < 0.001) were statistically significant predictors of knowledge score. Lack of insurance coverage for testing and limited knowledge about hepatitis C were identified as the most common barriers to getting tested.
The UAE community has moderate knowledge about hepatitis C but a poor understanding of available preventive and treatment options. Targeted outreach programmes, particularly for high-risk groups, are needed to improve community awareness of hepatitis C.
全球约有 5800 万人感染丙型肝炎，其中大多数生活在东地中海地区。在阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋），有关丙型肝炎疾病或其知识的数据有限。
本研究评估了阿联酋对丙型肝炎的认识及其筛查障碍。
本研究采用便利抽样法，对 1083 名参与者进行了探索性、描述性、横断面研究。年龄在 18 岁及以上、能读写英语或阿拉伯语的参与者被纳入研究。采用已验证的问卷，通过社交媒体平台于 2020 年 11 月至 2021 年 2 月进行在线调查，使用 Python 分析问卷结果。
平均知识得分为 11.83（SD=7.28）。知识水平中等，有 57.52%（n=489/850）的受访者获得中等知识得分，但对治疗方案的认识较差。仅有 54.12%（n=460/850）的人知道可以进行治疗，24.10%（n=205/850）的人知道没有丙型肝炎疫苗。工作领域（P<0.001）、婚姻状况（P<0.001）和感知知识（P<0.001）是知识得分的统计学显著预测因素。缺乏检测保险覆盖和对丙型肝炎知识的有限了解是进行检测的最常见障碍。
阿联酋社区对丙型肝炎有中等程度的认识，但对可用的预防和治疗方案了解甚少。需要开展有针对性的宣传活动，特别是针对高危人群，以提高社区对丙型肝炎的认识。
