Awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment and high-risk behaviors among the general population in Anhui Province

A cross-sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID22074906
AuthorsSeying Dai (Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Ziwei Wang (0009-0002-2655-7854, Anhui Medical University), Qian Guo (0000-0003-3023-2462, Anhui Medical University), Gan Tang (0009-0001-0494-3597, Anhui Medical University), Qisheng Guo (Anhui Medical University), Jin Zhang (0000-0002-1374-598X, Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, corresponding author), Yinguang Fan (0000-0002-8748-8082, Anhui Medical University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume13
Pages1534169-1534169
Publication date2025-03-12
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1534169
PMID40144995
OpenAlexW4408379567
LanguageEN
References cited29

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) set the goal of "eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030" in 2016. In 2021, the National Health Commission of China (NHCC), issued an action plan to help achieve the WHO's goal of eliminating the Hepatitis C virus by 2030. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the awareness of knowledge of hepatitis C prevention and treatment and high-risk behaviors among the general population of Anhui Province. Methods: Stratified sampling method had been used to select participants to conduct a survey from June 2021 to September 2021 in Anhui Province. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to reveal the influencing factors of participants' awareness and the self-selected high-risk behaviors of HCV infection. Results: : 53.72-53.75%), respectively. Among the 2,423 participants, 83.2% knew that blood or blood products can lead to hepatitis C infection, but only 44.2% knew that people infected with HCV can look healthy. Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that age group, education level, and geographic location were the important factors influencing hepatitis C awareness. In the last year, 1,113 people (45.9%) reported that they had high-risk behaviors for hepatitis C infection. Multivariate logistic regression model analysis revealed that hepatitis C awareness, gender, marital status, and geographic location were the important factors influencing the self-selected high-risk behaviors. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the general population in Anhui Province has low awareness of HCV prevention and treatment and a certain degree of history of high-risk behavior for hepatitis C. In the future, more information and health education on hepatitis C is needed, with particular attention to the older adult, those with low education levels, and the central and southern regions of Anhui Province. We also should strengthen the education of females and married, divorced or widowed individuals to recognize and avoid high-risk behaviors for hepatitis C in their lives. By narrowing the gap between knowledge and behavior, we can contribute to the goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030

Cross-sectional study · Environmental health · Hepatitis · Hepatitis A · Hepatitis C · Hepatitis C virus · Logistic regression · Marital status · Multivariate analysis · Pathology · Population · Public health · Viral hepatitis · Demography · Diabetes Management and Education · Hepatitis B Virus Studies · Hepatitis C virus research · Medicine · Immunology · Internal Medicine

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