Bivegete Kenny Ntwari, Felix K Rubuga, Silene Jolie Uwingabiye, Vincent Dushimimana, Jean Baptiste Hategekimana, Serieux Cyubahiro, Ivan Steve Rwema, Daniel Ukwishatse, Patrick Karakwende, Jean Muhire, Adolphe Ndikubwimana, Theoneste Ntakirutimana, Pierre Dukuziyaturemye, Didas Mugisha, Canisius Gasana, Edith Musabwa, Felicien Irafasha, Celestin Banamwana, Frank Gasana, Idrissa Nkurunziza, Deborah Oluwaseun Shomuyiwa, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno
{"title":"Uptake of the Hepatitis B Vaccine Among Pre-Service Health Professionals in Rwanda.","authors":"Bivegete Kenny Ntwari, Felix K Rubuga, Silene Jolie Uwingabiye, Vincent Dushimimana, Jean Baptiste Hategekimana, Serieux Cyubahiro, Ivan Steve Rwema, Daniel Ukwishatse, Patrick Karakwende, Jean Muhire, Adolphe Ndikubwimana, Theoneste Ntakirutimana, Pierre Dukuziyaturemye, Didas Mugisha, Canisius Gasana, Edith Musabwa, Felicien Irafasha, Celestin Banamwana, Frank Gasana, Idrissa Nkurunziza, Deborah Oluwaseun Shomuyiwa, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno","doi":"10.1002/puh2.70019","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High hepatitis B vaccine uptake has led to significant reductions in hepatitis B infection rates and associated health burdens in many countries. Despite the administration of the same vaccine, there has been a lack of emphasis on pre-service health professionals. This study aimed at assessing uptake of hepatitis B vaccine among pre-service health professionals at the University of Rwanda.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, whereas data analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 25; IBM Corp).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 360 respondents participated in the study; among them, 218 (60.6%) were males. About half of the participants, 170 (47.2%), scored between 40% and 60% on the knowledge assessment, whereas the majority of the respondents, 354 (98.3%), were aware of the hepatitis B vaccine. Most of the participants 334 (92.8%), were vaccinated, whereas 231 (69.2%) received the complete 3-dose vaccination. The most commonly cited reason for not getting vaccinated was lack of awareness (45%). The factors that influenced vaccination status were free vaccination provided by institutions, awareness of the vaccine, and knowledge of hepatitis B infection and its vaccine.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Pre-service health professionals are at risk of hepatitis infection due to low coverage of hepatitis B vaccination and lack of comprehensive knowledge and awareness regarding the hepatitis B infection and its vaccination.</p>","PeriodicalId":74613,"journal":{"name":"Public health challenges","volume":"3 4","pages":"e70019"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12039548/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Public health challenges","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70019","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/12/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: High hepatitis B vaccine uptake has led to significant reductions in hepatitis B infection rates and associated health burdens in many countries. Despite the administration of the same vaccine, there has been a lack of emphasis on pre-service health professionals. This study aimed at assessing uptake of hepatitis B vaccine among pre-service health professionals at the University of Rwanda.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, whereas data analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 25; IBM Corp).
Results: A total of 360 respondents participated in the study; among them, 218 (60.6%) were males. About half of the participants, 170 (47.2%), scored between 40% and 60% on the knowledge assessment, whereas the majority of the respondents, 354 (98.3%), were aware of the hepatitis B vaccine. Most of the participants 334 (92.8%), were vaccinated, whereas 231 (69.2%) received the complete 3-dose vaccination. The most commonly cited reason for not getting vaccinated was lack of awareness (45%). The factors that influenced vaccination status were free vaccination provided by institutions, awareness of the vaccine, and knowledge of hepatitis B infection and its vaccine.
Conclusion: Pre-service health professionals are at risk of hepatitis infection due to low coverage of hepatitis B vaccination and lack of comprehensive knowledge and awareness regarding the hepatitis B infection and its vaccination.