Knowledge of hepatitis B virus infection, risk factors, vaccination, and barriers to vaccine acquisition among undergraduate accounting students

Abstract

Objectives: Despite the development of useful instruments, prophylactic vaccinations, and antiviral drugs that greatly improve hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients' outcomes, some populations worldwide lack access to or are unaware of the disease. This study assessed the knowledge of HBV infection, risk factors, availability of vaccine, and barriers to vaccine acquisition among accounting undergraduates. Material and Methods: This study utilised a descriptive survey method. The sample size of 280 was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. To ensure representativeness, a stratified sampling method, including proportionate sampling, was used to select respondents from different classes. Data was collected using a self-developed questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.89. Descriptive statistics were applied to the collected data. Chi-square tested the hypothesis at a 0.05% level of significance. Results: Of the 280 study participants, 141(50.4%) had good knowledge of HBV; the majority, 184(65.7%), agreed they knew of the risk factors, and 177(63.2%) knew about the immunisation. The primary obstacles were a lack of knowledge about the disease and the vaccine (59.0%), a fear of vaccine side effects (53.8%), and an inability to locate a vaccination location (50.8%). There was a correlation between the students' study level and their level of risk factor knowledge (p <.001), as well as between their understanding of the disease and their vaccination status (p <.001). Conclusion: The study highlights a fair but limited understanding of hepatitis B (HB) among accounting students. Due to barriers, there are significant gaps in vaccination uptake, signalling a need for improved health education and accessible vaccination services on campus.