Hepatitis B virus infection-related knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices among market traders in Lagos, Nigeria - A cross sectional study

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly infectious and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Prevention of HBV infection can be achieved through safe practices and immunization. The objectives of this study were to assess knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices for HBV infection among market traders in Lagos State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 417 market traders in Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State selected by multistage sampling technique was conducted. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Chi-square statistics was used to test the association between variables, and the level of significance was set at 5%. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 39.2 ± 12.5 years. About 64% were female, 69.8% were married, and only 15.6% had tertiary education. Majority (97.6%) were aware of HBV infection. Overall, about 80% of the respondents had good knowledge of HBV infection, while 51.8% had good attitude toward HBV prevention, but only 18.5% of them had good preventive practices toward HBV infection. Only 5% of the respondents had completed the three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. Knowledge and preventive practices of the respondents about HBV infection were significantly associated with the level of education and marital status, while attitude to the preventive practices was associated with gender. Respondents' knowledge and attitude were significantly associated with the preventive practices for HBV infection. Conclusion: There is a need to target the traders in the markets and create appropriate awareness, screening, and vaccination programs for the prevention of HBV infection.