Status of Hepatitis-B Vaccination among Clinical Undergraduate Students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been a major threat to public health, especially in developing countries, with its increased morbidity and mortality rate. It is possible for transmission of HBV among clinical students to go unnoticed over a long period of time; thus, the necessity to enquire from the students their knowledge on HBV, their vaccination status, their common safety practices while on clinical posting, and their attitudes towards prevention of HBV spread. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from 286 undergraduate clinical students in University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting students who participated in the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Inferential statistics of chi-square test at 0.05% level of significance was used for hypotheses testing. Results: The result revealed that respondents had good knowledge about hepatitis B virus. 67.9% of the respondents have received hepatitis B vaccine, but only 37.6% of the students have received the complete (3 doses) of the hepatitis B vaccination. There is a significant association between students’ level of study and HBV vaccine uptake (p value = 0.013) Conclusion: Health professionals should be actively involved in continuous education of clinical students on hepatitis B virus with a greater emphasis on the need for vaccination. Also, mandatory hospital and university policies should be made to compel clinical students for vaccination before any clinical exposure.