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Harsukh Educational Charitable Society International Journal of Community Health and Medical Research

Volume 3 Issue 2 April-June 2017

Original Articles

Awareness and practice of safety measures related to Transmission of Hepatitis B & C among Barbers and Saloon workers of Lahore, Pakistan
Umer Ilyas, Iram Manzoor,Ayesha Shahbaz, Hassaan Jalil, Minahil Sheikh, Zara Shafqat

Background: Hepatitis B & C are emerging public health issues in Pakistan. One of the responsible factors for transmission of these diseases is use of razors by barbers and use of instruments on nails by saloon workers.Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted in Lahore depending upon zonal distribution from January to August 2016.396 barbers and salon workers were selected through cluster sampling technique. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire after informed consent following guideline of IRB. Cross tabulations were done on the basis of gender distribution after application of Chi square test of significance and p value was fixed at ≥ 0.05. Results: Major of the barbers and saloon workers ranged in the age bracket of 26-35 years (40.2%).Females constituted 232(58.6%) whereas males were 164(41.4%). Formally trained participants were 220(55.6%). An alarmingly high percentage, 213(53.9%)& 182 (46.1%) were unaware of the transmission of Hepatitis B& C respectively. Major source of information regarding Hepatitis was TV167 (42.2%). Still a large proportion 102(25.8%) were not using disposable blades for shaving and 40% never had concept of sterilizing instruments. A significant difference was observed in knowledge of female workers who were formerly trained in their occupation (p= 0.00).Conclusion: Asignificant fraction of participants were unaware that their occupation is a source of infection transmission of Hepatitis B & C. Increase health education and awareness campaigns are required to increase knowledge to stop the chain of transmission. Key words: Barbers; Hepatitis;Sterilization

 
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