Abstract
BackgroundA significant proportion of international students at UK universities are from regions with medium to high hepatitis B prevalence rates. Understanding the perception of students regarding hepatitis B infection is crucial for the development of appropriate information and services for this population group.MethodsTwenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from the University of Aberdeen. The following key areas were covered: knowledge, awareness, practices including testing, cultural and social aspects and general attitudes to health information and services. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using a framework analysis approach.ResultsThe participants acknowledged hepatitis B to be a serious disease yet did not consider themselves to be at risk. They felt able to go to their General Practitioner if concerned about hepatitis B but emphasised that there was no indication that this was required. There was a general lack of knowledge about the disease including confusion over other types of hepatitis. This was linked to the perceived lack of attention given to hepatitis B in, for example, sexual health education and disease awareness raising campaigns. The participants expressed a desire for information on hepatitis B to be relevant to the student population, easy to understand, socially acceptable and easily accessible on student portals and social media platforms.ConclusionsOur study suggests that students in Aberdeen, North East Scotland lack knowledge and awareness of hepatitis B and do not perceive themselves as being at risk of hepatitis B infection. There is a need for more tailored hepatitis B messages to be incorporated into a range of contexts with clearer risk communication for the student population.
Highlights
A significant proportion of international students at United Kingdom (UK) universities are from regions with medium to high hepatitis B prevalence rates
Theme 1: knowledge and awareness In general, participants reported feeling like they had low levels of knowledge about Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
The Ethiopian survey demonstrated that only 50% of the trainee health care professionals were adhering to good HBV preventative practice when working with patients, suggesting that knowledge of transmission routes alone is not enough [12]
Summary
A significant proportion of international students at UK universities are from regions with medium to high hepatitis B prevalence rates. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health problem with an estimated 257 million people chronically infected globally [1]. Scotland is classified as a low prevalence country with an estimated 0.1% of the population infected [2]. In certain sub-populations, such as the migrant community, the rates appear to be much higher. 30% of University of Aberdeen students are international students and 20% are from high or intermediate HBV prevalent regions. Most university students are young adults and are more likely to engage in behaviours
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