Abstract
BackgroundThis article describes hepatitis B-related knowledge, attitudes and practices after completion of the Gateway to Care campaign, a citywide public health education program that targeted city residents, health care providers and individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus in Haimen City, China.MethodsPre/post questionnaires assessed hepatitis B knowledge change among health care providers and post-campaign surveys evaluated hepatitis B knowledge, attitudes and behaviors (including stigma-related beliefs and practices) among health care providers, city residents and chronically infected individuals. Focus groups were conducted to gain a more in-depth understanding of the needs of the target communities, and to identify future intervention strategies to improve hepatitis B testing and linkage to care and treatment.ResultsResults indicate high levels of hepatitis B knowledge among multiple stakeholders in Haimen City, with significant knowledge improvement among health care providers. Stigma-related beliefs and myths regarding separation of infected individuals from certain aspects of family life were common among all stakeholder groups, despite high levels of accurate knowledge about hepatitis B transmission and prevention. Self-report of hepatitis B screening was low among city residents, as was awareness of hepatitis B treatment.ConclusionsMore efforts are needed to improve awareness of HBV treatment, decrease HBV-related stigma, improve screening rates, and reduce cost of antiviral treatment. Future interventions in Haimen City should be driven by behavioral change theory, to not only improve knowledge, but to improve screening behaviors and address hepatitis B-related stigma and discrimination.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41124-016-0004-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
This article describes hepatitis B-related knowledge, attitudes and practices after completion of the Gateway to Care campaign, a citywide public health education program that targeted city residents, health care providers and individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus in Haimen City, China
The results indicate high levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) knowledge among city residents and chronically infected individuals
The Gateway to Care education and awareness campaign was successful in fostering high levels of accurate HBV knowledge among health care providers in Haimen City, China
Summary
This article describes hepatitis B-related knowledge, attitudes and practices after completion of the Gateway to Care campaign, a citywide public health education program that targeted city residents, health care providers and individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus in Haimen City, China. The key to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with chronic HBV infection is improving rates of HBV screening and ensuring that infected individuals receive appropriate medical management [9, 10] This is especially needed in areas that have high HBV prevalence and HCC incidence. To help overcome barriers to HBV screening, the Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) implemented the “Gateway to Care Campaign: Haimen City Project” in August 2010, in collaboration with the Haimen City Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCCDC) [16]. This 3-year project is described in detail in a previous publication [16]. The project consisted of a targeted citywide public health information and awareness campaign, specialized education and training for key constituencies (including health care providers, government officials and infected individuals), and expansions in health care infrastructure to increase screening, vaccination, treatment, and care management services
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