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Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among barbers and their knowledge, attitude and practices in the district of Sukkur, Sindh

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

Abstract

Objectives

Several occupations in developing countries lag behind in ensuring the safety of their workers in occupational settings. Lack of implementation of safety guidelines at workplaces can expose workers to health risks. In Pakistan, barbers are one of the un-regulated occupational groups. Low literacy, increased frequency of direct skin contact and blade/razors use can expose barbers to body fluids including blood of the customers. We conducted this study in order to determine hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence among barbers and their knowledge, attitude and practices in a peri-urban district of Sindh.

Material and Methods

Three hundred eighty-five barbers from the Sukkur district were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples were collected and tested for HBsAg. A scale was built to determine the proportions of responses to knowledge, attitude and practice items.

Results

The prevalence of HBV among barbers was 2.1%. The barbers’ knowledge on HBV and its transmission routes was poor. The response to attitude items was good, except that only 35.1% of the participants agreed to have vaccination against HBV. The overall performance on the knowledge and practice scales was poor compared to the attitude scale on which 80% of the barbers performed well.

Conclusion

The prevalence of HBV among barbers was lower compared to the available national figures for the prevalence among the general population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

    Imran Naeem Abbasi, Zafar Fatmi & Muhammad Masood Kadir

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA

    Nalini Sathiakumar

Authors
  1. Imran Naeem Abbasi
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  2. Zafar Fatmi
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  3. Muhammad Masood Kadir
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  4. Nalini Sathiakumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Imran Naeem Abbasi.

Additional information

The present work was supported by the University of Alabama through the Birmingham International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health Program, grant number 5 D43 TW05750, from the National Institutes of Health-Fogarty International Center (NIH-FIC). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH-FIC.

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Abbasi, I.N., Fatmi, Z., Kadir, M.M. et al. Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among barbers and their knowledge, attitude and practices in the district of Sukkur, Sindh. IJOMEH 27, 757–765 (2014). https://doi.org/10.2478/s13382-014-0299-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13382-014-0299-z

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