A THESIS SUBMITEED TO SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES,ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Abstract

Hepatitis is a broad term for liver inflammation that can be brought on by a wide range of viruses. Hepatitis B virus is one of those and can cause a potentially fatal liver infection. It causes acute and/or chronic hepatitis, which can result in the development of significant liver scarring (cirrhosis), liver failure, and liver cancer. It is a serious health concern around the world. Reports from various regions of Ethiopia, like anywhere else in the world, suggest that the disease is present to varying degrees. The prison setting has shown to be a high-risk area for blood borne viral infection like hepatitis B virus infections. The aim of this study will be to assess the prevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B virus infection in Gidole prison Objectives: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of Hepatitis B virus infection among prison inmates at Gidole prison, Southern Ethiopia, 2023 Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted among inmates in Gidole prison from February 2023 to August 2023. A stratified sampling technique was employed to recruit 436 inmates based on male and female portion by allocation proportion in study area. Data was collected by structured questionnaire and blood samples were collected to test HBsAg. First binary logistics regression analysis was conducted to see the candidate variables and variables which had p-value less than 0.25 were entered to multivariable logistics regression model . At the end, significant factors were identified based on p-value less than 0.05 with 95% confidence level. Results: The Seroprevalence of HBV infection among prisoners was 12.4% in the study area. The mean age of participant‘s inmates was 36.9 with standard deviation of + 14.6. History of body tattooed with 95% ( AOR 3.56;CI: 1.627-7.79) and history of sexually transmitted disease with 95% (AOR: 4.1;CI: 2.07-8.26) were significantly associated with HBV infection. Conclusion: This study found that study area had high prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection. Based on the finding of this study history of tattooed and sexually transmitted disease were the most risk factors for acquiring HBV infection in this study area