Perceptions, beliefs, and awareness of Dental College Students of western India regarding Hepatitis B Vaccination
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 2
Abstract
Background: The threat posed by the global HBV epidemic continues to assume alarming proportions in areas of public health and national development. Globally, 2 billion people have been infected with HBV at some point in time in their life time and 360–400 million people,representing more than 5% of the world’s population are chronic carriers with anestimated 600,000 deaths each year due to consequences of HBV. Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess the hepatitis B vaccination awareness, status, reasons for non-compliance, and the risk of exposure to dental students at dental college and hospital. Material and Methods: A total of 250 dental college students in Jodhpur region of Rajasthan were included in the survey. The tool of study was a structured questionnaire specially designed for this study. Result: The study showed that on average, sampled students had a fair idea about hepatitis B even though there were significant differences between rural and urban adolescents. The study also discovered a significant difference between female and male students regarding their knowledge about types of HBV and different modes of transmission especially the horizontal one. Conclusion: This study was able to highlight 3 thematic areas and the need for prompt action to be taken. Firstly, the study deduced that majority of dental students of this region were not knowledgeable about the modes of transmission and effects of HBV. Secondly, the issue of stigmatization against already infected persons was very strong among students. Thirdly, vaccination was very low among dental students.
Authors and Affiliations
Varun Kothari, Ruchi Kothari, Pradeep Bokariya
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP302575
- DOI 10.5455/ijmsph.2017.01082016608
- Views 76
- Downloads 0
A Community based cross sectional study of dog bites in children in a rural district of Tamil Nadu
Background: Worldwide dog bites are becoming a significant public health problem and the annual frequency of dog bite injuries in children is estimated to be 22 per 1000 children of which less than half of them are repor...
Evaluation of HIV-positive pregnancy in a tertiary-care referral hospital
Background: Mother-to-child transmission is the most significant source of infection in children younger than 15 years of age, which can be prevented through an effective package of prevention of parent-to-child tran...
Depression among medical students of Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Background: Medical students are future of health care but depression in them may lead to less productivity, reduced quality of life, learning dif fi culties, and may negatively affect patient care. Objectives: To...
An epidemiological study of self-medication among urban adults of Aligarh
Background: Self prescribing is usually defined as “medication that is taken on the patient’s own initiative or on the advice of a pharmacist or lay person.” In developing countries like India, private pharmacies are the...
A rapid appraisal of educational environment of an evolving medical school in northern India
Background: One needs to assess the learning environment to identify the lacunae so that appropriate and timely remedial measures can be undertaken and gaps can be bridged to enhance the students’ learning experience. Ob...