Hepatitis B virus immunoprophylaxis for newborns of rural women living with hepatitis B virus infection: The moderating role of knowledge, perceived susceptibility and severity

Background: Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) poses a significant public health threat, particularly in high-prevalence regions like sub-Saharan Africa. Effective interventions, including Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine, can substantially reduce vertical transmission risk. However, disease transmission knowledge, perceptions of risk and severity are factors in the face of other personal factors that collectively shape the decision-making process of immunoprophylaxis utilization for exposed newborns. This study investigated knowledge of disease transmission, perceptions of risk and severity and their impact on the utilization of HBV immunoprophylaxis for exposed newborns of rural women living with HBV infection in Ghana's North-East Region. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, involving 213 mothers who had been diagnosed with hepatitis B virus infection and had given birth within the past 6 weeks. Sampling was done using random sampling procedures following proportional allocation to the selected facilities. The women were interviewed in a face-to-face interaction using a structured pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 employing descriptive statistics, Chi-Square test and logistic regression analysis with the level of significance set at 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 28 years (±1.5). A total of 56.3 % of the mothers had good knowledge. Higher education and religious affiliation were significantly associated with good knowledge of HBV disease transmission and newborn immunoprophylaxis. Mothers with good overall knowledge of HBV had significantly higher odds of uptake (aOR: 2.23, 95 % CI: 1.12–4.45, p-value: 0.023). There was no significant association between (aOR: 0.97, 95 % CI: 0.46–2.07, p-value: 0.941) perceived susceptibility and immunoprophylaxis uptake. Mothers who perceived HBV severity as high had higher odds of immunoprophylaxis uptake for their newborns (aOR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 0.15–0.87, p-value: 0.023). Conclusion: This study highlights the pivotal role of knowledge of HBV disease and its prevention and perceived severity in determining HBV immunoprophylaxis uptake among rural women. Addressing barriers surrounding education and perceptions through targeted education, improved healthcare accessibility, and culturally sensitive interventions is critical for enhancing MTCT prevention in similar settings.