Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Barbers about Hepatitis B&C Transmission in Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of barbers about hepatitis B&C transmission in Islamabad. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted on barbers (street barbers and shop owner barbers) placed in different sectors of urban areas of Islamabad from September 2012 to March 2013. Materials and Methods: A KAP survey (knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey) was done. One hundred and twenty six barbers were selected through non-probability sampling technique. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analysed through SPSS version 17. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out in order to document frequencies and percentages. Results: It was found that only 39% of the barbers had knowledge about different aspects of Hepatitis B&C (sterilization of instruments before using on next client ,mode of transmission, sign and symptoms, treatment, vaccination and which organ is effected most ). Conclusion: There is a huge gap in knowledge about hepatitis B&C transmission amongst barbers which highlights the importance of health education and different awareness raising campaigns to target this issue and bridge the gap.