A Study of Knowledge, Experience, and Beliefs About Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection in South Western Uganda.

Joseph Mugisha,Denis Mayambala,Philippa C Matthews,Jolynne Mokaya,Janet Seeley,Fatuma Ssembajja,Dominic Bukenya,Robert Newton

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00304

Abstract

Introduction: United Nations sustainable development goals aim for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, leading to efforts to upscale the availability and accessibility of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment globally. However, a variety of societal factors, including beliefs, traditions, and stigma, can be a major obstacle to all of these interventions. We therefore set out to investigate how HBV is understood and described in communities in Uganda, and whether there is evidence of potential stigma.Method: We carried out a qualitative formative study in two sites in South Western Uganda: a village in Kalungu district (site A) and an area on the outskirts of Masaka town (site B). We undertook a rapid assessment to investigate how adults describe HBV infection and their perceptions about the infection. We collected data by conducting a transect walk, observations, community group discussions, and in-depth interviews, sampling a total of 131 individuals. We used inductive content analysis to extract key themes associated with HBV.Results: There is no specific word for HBV infection in local languages, and knowledge about this infection is varied. While some individuals were completely unfamiliar with HBV infection, some had heard of HBV. Radio was a common source of information. There was awareness of HBV as a cause of liver disease, but limited knowledge regarding the cause, mode of transmission, and treatment. Stigma in HBV may be rare in this community due to limited understanding and experience of HBV.Conclusion: There is an ongoing need to improve awareness and understanding of HBV in this community. Careful dissemination of accurate information is required to promote acceptance of interventions for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Highlights

United Nations sustainable development goals aim for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, leading to efforts to upscale the availability and accessibility of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment globally
The commonest means of acquiring knowledge on HBV infection was through radio advertisements which encouraged members of the community to get tested and immunized
One personal experience was reported by a teacher from site B: “A neighbor who had gone to work at the lake shore came back when he was already infected

Summary

Introduction

United Nations sustainable development goals aim for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, leading to efforts to upscale the availability and accessibility of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment globally. In response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by the year 2030 [2], HBV infection is receiving increasing recognition with efforts to upscale prevention, diagnosis, and treatment [1, 3]. Stigma and discrimination are recognized in the setting of chronic viral hepatitis infections, but there is very limited research to determine the nature and impact of stigma in communities in Africa [4]. There has been no previous work on stigma in HBV in Uganda, HBV is highly endemic in some regions [prevalence estimates vary from 6 to 52% [9,10,11]]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion