. Seyedeh Shahrbanoo Daniali; . Mona Hafezi Bakhtiari; . Mostafa Nasirzadeh; . Mohammad Aligol; . Saeed Doaei
Volume 5, Issue 5 , December 2015, , Pages 1-5
Abstract
Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major complex public health problem.Different resources have proved that healthcare workers more than the general populationare ...
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Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major complex public health problem.Different resources have proved that healthcare workers more than the general populationare at a risk of infection. Therefore, medical field students, due to the future occupationalhazards, are included in the risk group. Aim: The purpose of the study was to evaluate thelevel of knowledge, public and individual risk perception, and behavioral intention aboutHCV, among medical sciences students of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Settings and Design: This is a descriptive–analytical study that was conducted among457 students of the Medical Sciences in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: The data was collected using a questionnaire. Sampling was donerandomly. Statistical Analysis Used: The data was analyzed using the SPSS18 software andstatistical tests of Pearson, Spearman, T‑ test, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA); P < 0.05was considered significant. Results: Four hundred and fifty‑seven students (41.8% male and58.2% female) in 29 fields of study (six categories) participated in this research. The mean agewas 21.55 ± 2.6 years. The mean and standard deviations of the students’ knowledge was3.71 ± 2.9 (out of 8), and the behavioral intention to accruing information and performanceof preventive actions related to HCV was 11.52 ± 3.16 (out of 20). Public risk perception was20.1 ± 3.5 (out of 30); and personal risk perception was 6.96 ± 1.8 (out of 10). The ANOVAtest showed that public perception of the risk among students of different academic fields wasdifferent (F = 1.52, P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the low knowledge of students ofMedical Sciences in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences about HCV, it was recommendedthat the University Policymakers design an educational intervention about it, in order to minimizethe chances of being infected.