EXPECTANT MOTHERS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION OF VIRAL HEPATITIS B INFECTION IN TWO DISTRICTS OF GHANA'S UPPER WEST REGION

Abstract

Viral Hepatitis B infection is a serious public health concern globally, notably in developing countries. Expectant mothers' knowledge on mother-to-child transmission of the disease is significant in preventing the transmission from an infected mother-to-child. In endemic areas, as the case is in Ghana, majority of infections occur in children less than 5 years of age and may be attributable to mother-to-child transmission; knowledge of HBV infection varies from urban to rural areas. As such, this study selected two Districts to compare the results - the Wa Municipality as a relatively urban area and the Lawra District as a relatively rural area. The study sought to establish the expectant mothers' knowledge about mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus in the Upper West Region. A descriptive cross-sectional study with a multi-stage sampling technique was applied to enlist 450 participants; 240 in the Wa Municipality and 210 in the Lawra District. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data: the data were coded and double entered into SPSS (version 20.0) for the analysis. The results are organized into frequency tables and bar chart. Respondents' ages ranged from 14 to 48 years with median age of 29 years. General literacy rate was 62.4% but was higher among the respondents in the Wa Municipality compared to the Lawra District. In general, 46.2% of the respondents had general knowledge about Hepatitis B Viral infection and disease; and 35.1 % knew about mother-to-child transmission. Maternal knowledge level was comparatively high in Wa Municipality than Lawra District. Socio-demographic determinants of respondents' knowledge about Mother-to-Child- Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus included education (p=0.007), marital status (p=0.007), occupation (p<0.001) and gravidity (p=0.008). Generally, there was low knowledge about the Mother-to-Child Transmission of the Hepatitis B virus among expectant mothers in the Upper West Region. Thus, increased commitments and a comprehensive educational intervention program are required to help increase the knowledge level especially in the rural areas of the region.