Knowledge about hepatitis B and influencing factors among the residents in Qingdao: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the status of knowledge on hepatitis B among the residents in Qingdao and provided a reference for improving relevant public awareness strategies. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted by an online questionnaire on the WeChat platform. Chi-square test was used to compare the hepatitis B influencing factors between subgroups. Binary logistic regression was used for multiple factor analysis to explore the influencing factors. RESULTS: The total awareness rate of hepatitis B was 79.6% among the 3261 qualified online questionnaires. Logistic regression showed that females (OR = 1.843, 95% CI: 1.547- 2.196), aged between 51 and 60 (OR = 2.323, 95% CI: 1.409-3.829), married (OR = 1.699, 95% CI: 1.335-2.162), and worked in government-affiliated departments were the influencing factors for the knowledge about hepatitis B. CONCLUSIONS: The residents of Qingdao had incomplete knowledge about hepatitis B. Females, aged between 51 and 60, married, and those who worked in government-affiliated departments were found to have higher awareness rate than other subgroups. The government and related departments should pay more attention in educating the sub-groups that lack hepatitis B knowledge.