Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and
practices of teacher trainees in the Kumasi Metropolis on Hepatitis B and its
prevention and also ascertained the relationship between teacher trainees’
level of knowledge and their practices on the prevention of hepatitis B. The
study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Multistage
sampling procedure was used to sample 300 teacher trainees in three Colleges
of Education in the Kumasi Metropolis. Researcher generated questionnaire
was the main instrument for the study. Frequency and percentages and Chi
Square test of independence were used to analyze the data. The results
revealed high knowledge, with positive attitude, and good practices, among
teacher trainees in Kumasi metropolis. There was correlation between teacher
trainees’ level of knowledge on hepatitis B and their practices. The study
found that there is high knowledge, positive attitude and good practices among
the teacher trainees in the Kumasi Metropolis and these are likely to influence
positively the pupils they are going to teach, enable pupils dispense good
attitude and will also help to reduce prevalence of Hepatitis B in the Kumasi
Metropolis. It was recommended that there is the need to improve upon the
knowledge level of the trainees who exhibited low knowledge about Hepatitis B.
The study also recommended that screening in the Colleges of Education must be
made compulsory with education attached, and free compulsory vaccination
programme must be introduced among the teacher trainees to help reduce
prevalence of the disease.
