Determinants of Vaccination Coverage and Hepatitis B Prevalence among Students at Gaston Berger University in 2024

BACKGROUND- Hepatitis B is a public health problem. The objective of this work was to study the factors associated with the carriage of the hepatitis B surface antigen and vaccination coverage against this disease among students at the Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis (UGB). METHODS- This is a cross-sectional study on a sample of 800 students. Data collection concerned epidemiological and serological data. The first came from an electronic questionnaire completed by self-administration. The second came from a rapid diagnostic test for hepatitis B surface antigen performed on each participant. Two operational variables were used- the vaccination rate and the vaccination coverage rate. The former is a ratio between those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine and those who are supposed to be vaccinated; the latter is a ratio between those who have received all three doses of the vaccine and those who are supposed to be vaccinated. Data analysis was carried out using R software. RESULTS- The average age was 23.3 ± 2.7 years and 96.8% of participants were single. The vaccination rate was 10.9% while the vaccination coverage rate was 5.0% with gender, faculty, level and residence as associated factors. The observed prevalence rate was 8.4% and the associated factors were sex and origin. The most affected residence was villages K (15.0%), A (12.9%) and F (11.4%). CONCLUSIONS- Hepatitis B is a reality within the UGB. Awareness-raising activities and vaccination operations for all unvaccinated residents are indicated to effectively combat this disease.