Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward preventing and controlling hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care at a University Hospital in Central Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Ethiopia is a country with a high endemicity of the hepatitis B virus, and the primary mode of transmission for this virus is mother-to-child transmission. However, the country lacks a comprehensive plan for viral hepatitis surveillance, prevention, and control.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward preventing and controlling hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care at a University Hospital in Central Ethiopia.

Design: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women from October to November 2023 at a University Hospital in Central Ethiopia.

Methods: A total of 412 pregnant women were selected and included in the study using a systematic random sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The collected data were imported into Epi-data version 3.1 and then exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 for analysis. In the bivariate analysis, variables with a p-value less than 0.25 were included in the multivariate analysis. A logistic regression model was used. A p-value <0.05 indicated statistical significance.

Results: The overall response rate was 94.1%. Of the total 412 respondents, 37.6% exhibited good practices. Notably, pregnant women within the age categories of 29-39 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15, 0.64) and ⩾40 years (AOR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.50), residing in rural areas (AOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.70), with smaller family sizes (AOR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.25), lacking information about hepatitis B virus infection (AOR: 5.15; 95% CI: 2.91, 9.13), having a positive attitude (AOR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.06), and possessing good knowledge (AOR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.71) were significantly associated with poor practice.

Conclusion: This study revealed that pregnant women had a low level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to hepatitis B virus infection prevention and control. A greater understanding is necessary to effectively prevent and control the spread of infection through prioritized health education programs targeting pregnant women. These programs must focus on raising awareness through campaigns that promote knowledge and immunization for their children.