Attitudes Towards Premarital Screening for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Iran Publisher Pubmed



Adibi P^{1, 2} ; Hedayati S² ; Mohseni M²
Source: Journal of Medical Screening Published:2007

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the attitudes of the young adult population towards premarital screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods: Premarital counselling for reproductive health and testing for thalassaemia is required for couples wishing to be married in Iran. We added an information session about hepatitis B to the routine counselling programme, and then evaluated the attitudes of the enrolled population towards premarital screening for hepatitis B, through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: From a total of 1342 participants, 1316 individuals returned the questionnaires (response rate: 98.1%). In total, 73.2% of participants were in agreement with HBV screening. Male sex and higher level of education were associated with more positive attitudes towards HBV testing. Conclusion: Conducting a universal premarital HBV screening programme would be highly acceptable in Iran.