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Hepatitis and liver disease knowledge and preventive practices among health workers in Mexico: a cross-sectional study

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International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

To assess the knowledge and preventive practices regarding hepatitis and liver disease among a sample of participants in the Mexican Health Worker Cohort Study.

Methods

The study population consisted of 892 participants from Cuernavaca, Mexico. Demographic characteristics, knowledge about hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and liver disease in general, as well as information about prevention practices were obtained from self-reported questionnaires. Participants were grouped into categories that were created using information about their professional background and patient contact status. Knowledge and prevention practices were compared within these categories.

Results

Inadequate levels of knowledge and preventive practices were found, even within the more highly educated group. Nearly 57 % of the participants had inadequate knowledge about liver disease in general, while 76 and 79 % had inadequate knowledge about Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV), respectively. For general liver disease, the mean knowledge score increased significantly with education, history of HCV screening, and low alcohol consumption.

Conclusions

Health workers should be better educated about hepatitis and liver disease so they can reduce their own risk and share their knowledge of how to prevent liver disease with patients.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

HBV:

Hepatitis B virus

HCV:

Hepatitis C virus

IMSS:

Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

MHWCS:

Mexican Health Worker Cohort Study

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from CONACYT awarded to Dr. Flores (grant number SALUD-2005-01-14103) and funding from the Coordinación de Investigación en Salud of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) awarded to Dr. Flores. Additional support was provided by the Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Morelos (IMSS). Ms. Islam received a grant from the Monica Salinas Internship Fund for Latino and Latin American Health at UCLA to support her work on this study. The authors are very grateful to the MHWCS participants and their families, as well as the nurses and staff at IMSS. This manuscript is the result of Ms. Islam’s thesis work to obtain her Master’s degree in Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Noreen Islam

  2. Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Blvd. Benito Juárez No. 31 Col. Centro, C.P. 62000, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    Yvonne N. Flores, Paula Ramirez & Jorge Salmerón

  3. UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management, Center for Cancer Prevention and Control Research, Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900-6900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Yvonne N. Flores & Roshan Bastani

  4. Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad No. 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    Jorge Salmerón

Authors
  1. Noreen Islam
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  2. Yvonne N. Flores
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  3. Paula Ramirez
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  4. Roshan Bastani
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  5. Jorge Salmerón
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Noreen Islam.

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Islam, N., Flores, Y.N., Ramirez, P. et al. Hepatitis and liver disease knowledge and preventive practices among health workers in Mexico: a cross-sectional study. Int J Public Health 59, 381–394 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0515-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0515-9

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