Abstract:

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and risk perceptions about the disease of relatives of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 121 relatives of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C admitted to Erciyes University Hospital, Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic between December 2016 and June 2017 were included. Results: The mean age of the participants was 44.0±14.5 years. Sixty-four participants were male (52.9%) and 83.5% were married. 61.2% of the patients had hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and 38.8% had HCV infection and 67.8% of the relatives stated that they lived in the same house with the patients. When the relatives of the patients were asked what type of hepatitis they knew, 92.6% stated that they knew HBV, 86.8% said they knew HCV and 79.4% said they knew both HBV-HCV. 26.4% of the participants did not know hepatitis. Approximately one-quarter of the relatives did not know what hepatitis B carrier is. 52.1% of the patient’s relatives stated that they felt at risk for hepatitis infection and 69.4% stated that they had hepatitis tests and 48.8% had HBV vaccine. 38.7% of those who did not have vaccination stated that they did not intend to have the vaccination. Conclusion: Although the majority of the patient’s relatives knew the basic ways of transmission of hepatitis B and C, their level of knowledge about other risks of transmission in their daily lives was insufficient.

Keywords: