Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B infection in rural communities: a cross-sectional analysis
5 affiliations
- 1Ataribuno Cervix Foundation
- 2Presbyterian Primary Health Care
- 3School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology and Applied Sciences
- 4Midwifery Training College
- 5College of Nursing, Academic Health Sciences Center, University of Central Florida
Abstract
Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a highly contagious preventable liver disease with high mortality rates across the world. HBV is endemic in Ghana, yet screening for early detection and treatment of the condition is a challenge. This study assessed the prevalence and associated risk factors of HBV infection in rural communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of secondary data from 218 participants. The participants were classified into 2 groups—HBV negative and positive groups. Fisher Exact and Chi Square analysis were used to evaluate association between hepatitis B infection status and demographic and clinical characteristics. Binary logistic regression was used to evaluate for the risk factors associated with the HBV positive group.
Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 39.04(13.65) years, with majority 18–30 years old (30.28%), and 55.50% were farmers. The prevalence of HBV infection was 9.63%. Farmers were less likely associated with risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.052–0.529; p = 0.002) than traders. After adjusting for other confounders, participants who had handwork were associated with lower risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.028–0.738; p = 0.020) than traders. No family history of hepatitis B was associated with lower risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.021–0.416; p = 0.002) than participants with family history of hepatitis B.
Conclusion: We found high prevalence of HBV infection among rural adults in this study. Associated risk factors identified for transmission of HBV infection in this population included occupation and family history of hepatitis B infection. There is urgent need for the development of context-specific prevention strategies that address both social and household transmission dynamics of HBV in rural communities in Ghana.
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BibTeX
@article{asakitogum2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B infection in rural communities: a cross-sectional analysis}},
author = {Prospera Asakitogum and Francis Anaba Agana and Comfort Dede and Victoria Loerzel and David Ayangba Asakitogum},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1889741},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1889741/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B infection in rural communities: a cross-sectional analysis
AU - Prospera Asakitogum
AU - Francis Anaba Agana
AU - Comfort Dede
AU - Victoria Loerzel
AU - David Ayangba Asakitogum
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1889741
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1889741/full
AB - Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a highly contagious preventable liver disease with high mortality rates across the world. HBV is endemic in Ghana, yet screening for early detection and treatment of the condition is a challenge. This study assessed the prevalence and associated risk factors of HBV infection in rural communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of secondary data from 218 participants. The participants were classified into 2 groups—HBV negative and positive groups. Fisher Exact and Chi Square analysis were used to evaluate association between hepatitis B infection status and demographic and clinical characteristics. Binary logistic regression was used to evaluate for the risk factors associated with the HBV positive group. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 39.04(13.65) years, with majority 18–30 years old (30.28%), and 55.50% were farmers. The prevalence of HBV infection was 9.63%. Farmers were less likely associated with risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.052–0.529; p = 0.002) than traders. After adjusting for other confounders, participants who had handwork were associated with lower risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.028–0.738; p = 0.020) than traders. No family history of hepatitis B was associated with lower risk of HBV infections (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.021–0.416; p = 0.002) than participants with family history of hepatitis B. Conclusion: We found high prevalence of HBV infection among rural adults in this study. Associated risk factors identified for transmission of HBV infection in this population included occupation and family history of hepatitis B infection. There is urgent need for the development of context-specific prevention strategies that address both social and household transmission dynamics of HBV in rural communities in Ghana.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -