Hepatitis B virus infection and associated risk factors among mothers attending public health facilities in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia

Globally, the burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious health problem for women that could be transmitted to their newborn infants. Screening and treating at an early stage help prevent the spread of this infection and its complications. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of HBV infection among mothers attending public health facilities in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 325 mothers attending Bahir Dar city public health facilities from December 2023 to June 2024. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and possible risk factors were collected using a structured questionnaire, and serum samples were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23 software. Logistic regression was used to check the association between variables with an odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence intervals (CI). P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall seroprevalence of HBV infection was 3.4% (95% CI; 1.0-5.0). The history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (AOR = 7.60; 95% CI: 1.84-31.34, p = 0.005), history of contact with chronic hepatitis B virus-infected (CHB) family members (AOR = 20.86; 95% CI: 2.48-175.03, p = 0.005), and female circumcision (AOR = 13.76; 95% CI: 1.63-116.80, p = 0.016) were significantly associated risk factors with HBV infection. Generally, an intermediate seroprevalence of HBV infection was reported in this study. This showed that HBV infection is still a critical public health concern among mothers in the study area. History of contact with CHB family members, history of STDs, and female circumcision were significantly associated risk factors with HBV infection. These findings call for enhanced public health strategies to effectively reduce HBV infection in mothers.