Effects of Disease Education on Knowledge and Attitude towards Hepatitis B among in-school Adolescents with Hearing Impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: Knowledge and attitude play essential roles in controlling hepatitis B among all populations, including in-school adolescents with hearing impairment who regularly face barriers to health information. Hepatitis B continues to remain a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, especially for adolescents with hearing loss. Studies report low levels of knowledge and unfavourable attitudes toward hepatitis B in Nigeria, including Oyo State. Previous work has mainly examined causative factors, offering limited focus on approaches such as Disease Education (DE). This study assessed the effect of disease education on knowledge and attitude toward hepatitis B among in-school adolescents in Oyo State, Nigeria.
Method: A pretest–posttest control group quasi-experimental design was used. The 123 participants were assigned to experimental (n = 78) and control (n = 45) groups. The experimental group received an 8-week intervention guided by the intervention manual, while the control group receive no intervention. Data were collected using validated tools: the Knowledge of Hepatitis B Test (r = 0.79) and the Attitude toward Hepatitis B scale (r = 0.71). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance at the 0.05 significance level.
Result: Among 123 participants, 65.9% were female, with a mean age of 18.23± 1.34 years. There was a statistically significant main effect of the intervention on Hepatitis B knowledge (F(1,115) = 1205.23, partial η² = 0.91). DE participants (x̄ = 31.74) outperformed the control group (x̄ = 20.40). The intervention also had a significant effect on attitude (F(1,115) = 2856.05, partial η² = 0.96). DE participants (x̄ = 40.57) showed more positive attitudes than controls (x̄ = 28.90).
Conclusion: Disease education intervention significantly improved knowledge and attitudes towards hepatitis B. Inclusive health education interventions are effective for in-school adolescents with hearing impairment.

Hepatitis B, Knowledge, Attitude, Disease Education

1. Abiola, A. O., Nwogu, E. E., Ibrahim, M. T. O. & Hassan, R. (2012). Effect of Health Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Personal Hygiene among Secondary School Students in Rural Sokoto, North West, Nigeria. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine, 22(3), 198–205. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akomolafe, B.K.Animasun, O.S., Akomolafe, E.F., Oshiakhayamhe, I.K., Afolabi, O.O, Adigun, A.O., Olufunmilayo, A.T., Funmito, A.P., and Rosemary, R. (2024). Assessing the Impact of Hepatitis B immunization among Children Aged 1-14 years in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 22(03),1094-1104 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bahy, A. A. (2015). Hepatitis B Virus (Hepatitis B) and Its Vertical Transmission. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 5(7), 416-424 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Eni, A. O., Soluade, M. G., Oshamika, O. O., Efekemo, O. P., Igwe, T. T. and Onile-ere, O. A. (2019). Knowledge and Awareness of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Nigeria.Annals of Global Health, 85(1), 56, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.33 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Fava, G. A., Cosci, F., Sonino, N. and Guidi, J. 2022. Understanding health attitudes and behavior. The American Journal of Medicine, 136(3), 252–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.10.019 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Ferguson, M. (2018). Global Systematic Review of the Measurement of Stigma Associated With People Living With Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C Viruses. Journal of Virus Eradication, 4(3), 163–172. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Iezzoni, L. I. 2022. Health care for people with disabilities. New England Journal of Medicine, 386(26), 2542-2544. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Isaiah, O., & Ola, T. A. (2016). Predictors Of Risky Health Behaviours Among Secondary School Students With Hearing Impairment In South -West, Nigeria. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 12(10), 211. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2016.v12n10p211 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Karaca, N. & Karaca, Ç. (2018). Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B. In: Ozaras, R., Tahan, V. (eds) Viral Hepatitis: Chronic Hepatitis B. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93449-5_6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Kumar, P., Singh, S., & Kaur, R. (2024). Impact of educational interventions on hepatitis B and C awareness among school students in Delhi NCR, India. BMC Public Health, 24, 19577. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19577-5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Okonkwo, U., Otu, A., Ameh, S. & Okpara, H. (2019). Public Awareness of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Cross River State, Nigeria: A Population-Based Survey. West African Journal of Medicine, 35(2), 79–84. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Olakunde, B.O., Adeyinka, D.A., Olakunde, O.A., Stanley C Eneh, S.C., & Ogundipe, T. (2025). Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Nigeria: A Narrative Review of Prevalence, Transmission, Genotypes, Coinfections, and Mortality.Journal of Tropical Med Sep 22: 4939367. doi: 10.1155/jotm/4939367. ECollection. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Olayiwola, J.O. & Lanlehin, F. (2021). Prevalence of Hepatitis B virus Among Out-patients in Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. Acta Scientific Microbiology, 4(11), 62-65 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Olaleye, O., Sanda, B. O., & Bello-Ismail, Z. O. (2007). Sexual behaviour and reproductive health knowledge among deaf adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 11(2), 52–60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Oyasope, B. T., Atibioke, O. P., & Dipeolu, I. O. (2024). Knowledge, risk perception and utilization of Hepatitis B vaccine among youths in a semi-urban area in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. European Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 22(3), 543–550. https://doi.org/10.15584/ejcem.2024.3.9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Pacher, A., Barreto, J. M. & Passos, A. D. C. (2015). Hepatitis B in the Brazilian Deaf Community: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 19(6), 595–600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjid.2015.07.005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Papastergiou, V., Lombardi, R., MacDonald, D. & Tsochatzis, E. (2015). Global Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Infection. Current Hepatitis Reports, 14(3), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11901-015-0269-3 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Sareetha, A. V., Sreelakshmi, P. R., & Subashini, T. (2018). Effect of educational intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice of hepatitis B vaccination among medical students. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology,7(6),1105–1109.https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20182156 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Usita, P. N., Okorie, C. E., and Nwosu, B. O. 2021. Impact of health education intervention on knowledge and awareness of sickle cell anaemia among secondary school students in Nigeria. African Journal of Health Education, 7(2), 34–42 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. World Health Organization. 2023. Immunization coverage. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/immunization [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. ……………………………..2022. Global Health Sector Strategies on, respectively, HIV, viral [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. …………………………….2022. Global hepatitis report 2022. Geneva: WHO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Xue, Y., Chen, H-S., Zheng, Y-H. and Chen, Y-K. 2017. Risk behaviors and preventive interventions for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth. Creating Healthy Work Environments Event Materials, 34 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Measuring Waste of Patient Time in Health Care at Non-Digitized Hospital: An Observational Study in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Bangladesh
• Reaffirming Clinical Confidence in Atorvastatin Therapy: A Digital Outreach Case Study from Tamil Nadu, India
• Clinical Manifestations and Therapeutic Response in a Patient with Hypothyroidism: A Case Report
• Eranda (Ricinus Communis) In Gridhrasi (Sciatica): Classical Rationale, Pharmacology and Clinical Evidence- A Narrative Literature Review
• Magnetotherapy in Pain Management: Mechanisms, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives – A Review