Prevalence, Risk Factors and Community Awareness of Helicobacter Pylori Infection Among Peptic Ulcer Patients Accessing Community Pharmacy Care in Yenagoa Metropolis, Bayelsa State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Helicobacter pylori is a World Health Organization Group I carcinogen and the dominant aetiological agent of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), yet community-level epidemiological data from Nigeria's Niger Delta region remain limited. This study determined the prevalence of H. pylori infection, identified associated risk factors, and characterised community awareness and treatment-seeking behaviour among PUD patients accessing community pharmacy care in Yenagoa metropolis, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in randomly selected community pharmacies across Yenagoa metropolis. A structured interviewer-assisted questionnaire was administered to 428 adults with self-reported PUD symptoms; 412 (96.3%) returned complete responses, of whom 183 met the case definition for PUD and constitute the analytical population. Data were analysed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0 using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests of association, and binary logistic regression at α = 0.05. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection among PUD respondents was 25.7% (95% CI: 19.4–32.0). The mean age was 36.6 ± 0.54 years; 59.7% were female. Crowded living conditions (34.4%), consumption of contaminated food or water (30.0%), and lack of clean water or sanitation (22.4%) were the dominant environmental risk factors and collectively achieved statistical significance (χ² test, p = 0.001). Community awareness of H. pylori was profoundly limited: 46.4% of respondents had never heard of the organism prior to the study, and only 18.0% considered themselves substantively aware. Awareness was statistically associated with perceived community prevalence (p = 0.013). Treatment-seeking was substantially delayed, with 30.1% of respondents waiting months before consultation and 16.9% never having sought care (p = 0.003). Conclusion: The 25.7% prevalence, while lower than historical Nigerian estimates, overlays a profound community awareness deficit and a clearly defined set of environmental and socio-economic risk factors that are amenable to intersectoral public health intervention. The findings argue for the integration of structured community sensitisation, low-cost point-of-care H. pylori diagnostic testing in community pharmacy practice, and continued investment in water and sanitation infrastructure as the cornerstones of H. pylori control in Bayelsa State.