A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review
<p>Background: The Global Hepatitis Health Sector Strategy is aiming for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Successful diagnostic, treatment and preventive strategies can reduce incidence and morbidity; it is important to ensure that these interventions and s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Published: |
F1000Research
2018
|
| _version_ | 1797059322340966400 |
|---|---|
| author | Mokaya, J McNaughton, A Burbridge, L Maponga, T O'Hara, G Andersson, M Seeley, J Matthews, P |
| author_facet | Mokaya, J McNaughton, A Burbridge, L Maponga, T O'Hara, G Andersson, M Seeley, J Matthews, P |
| author_sort | Mokaya, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>Background: The Global Hepatitis Health Sector Strategy is aiming for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Successful diagnostic, treatment and preventive strategies can reduce incidence and morbidity; it is important to ensure that these interventions and services are not only available, but also accessible. Stigma, poverty, and lack of knowledge may present a substantial barrier, especially in resource limited settings. We therefore set out to assimilate evidence for the nature and impact of stigma on the lives of people with HBV infection and on the community, and to suggest ways to tackle stigma and discrimination.</p><p> Methods: We carried out a literature search in PubMed using the search terms ‘hepatitis B’, ‘stigma’ to identify relevant papers published between 2007 and 2017 (inclusive), with a particular focus on Africa.</p><p> Results: We identified a total of 34 articles, of which only one study was conducted in Africa. Lack of knowledge on HBV was consistently identified: there were misconceptions about HBV transmission among the public, healthcare workers (HCWs) provided inaccurate information to individuals diagnosed with HBV, and poor understanding resulted in lack of preventive precautions. Stigma negatively impacted on health behaviour such as help-seeking, screening, disclosure, prevention of transmission, and adherence to treatment.</p><p> Conclusion: Stigma is a potentially major barrier to the successful implementation of preventive, diagnostic and treatment strategies for HBV infection, and yet there is very limited recognition of the magnitude of this challenge, especially in Africa. There is a need for more research in this area, to identify and evaluate interventions that can be used effectively to tackle stigma in HBV, and to inform collaborative efforts between policy makers, HCWs, traditional healers, religious leaders, charity organisations and support groups, to improve awareness and tackle stigma in HBV in Africa</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T20:02:33Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:27d073f9-e496-4211-b8bf-bc2de1bf8f24 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T20:02:33Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | F1000Research |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:27d073f9-e496-4211-b8bf-bc2de1bf8f242022-03-26T12:09:15ZA blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic reviewJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:27d073f9-e496-4211-b8bf-bc2de1bf8f24Symplectic Elements at OxfordF1000Research2018Mokaya, JMcNaughton, ABurbridge, LMaponga, TO'Hara, GAndersson, MSeeley, JMatthews, P<p>Background: The Global Hepatitis Health Sector Strategy is aiming for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Successful diagnostic, treatment and preventive strategies can reduce incidence and morbidity; it is important to ensure that these interventions and services are not only available, but also accessible. Stigma, poverty, and lack of knowledge may present a substantial barrier, especially in resource limited settings. We therefore set out to assimilate evidence for the nature and impact of stigma on the lives of people with HBV infection and on the community, and to suggest ways to tackle stigma and discrimination.</p><p> Methods: We carried out a literature search in PubMed using the search terms ‘hepatitis B’, ‘stigma’ to identify relevant papers published between 2007 and 2017 (inclusive), with a particular focus on Africa.</p><p> Results: We identified a total of 34 articles, of which only one study was conducted in Africa. Lack of knowledge on HBV was consistently identified: there were misconceptions about HBV transmission among the public, healthcare workers (HCWs) provided inaccurate information to individuals diagnosed with HBV, and poor understanding resulted in lack of preventive precautions. Stigma negatively impacted on health behaviour such as help-seeking, screening, disclosure, prevention of transmission, and adherence to treatment.</p><p> Conclusion: Stigma is a potentially major barrier to the successful implementation of preventive, diagnostic and treatment strategies for HBV infection, and yet there is very limited recognition of the magnitude of this challenge, especially in Africa. There is a need for more research in this area, to identify and evaluate interventions that can be used effectively to tackle stigma in HBV, and to inform collaborative efforts between policy makers, HCWs, traditional healers, religious leaders, charity organisations and support groups, to improve awareness and tackle stigma in HBV in Africa</p> |
| spellingShingle | Mokaya, J McNaughton, A Burbridge, L Maponga, T O'Hara, G Andersson, M Seeley, J Matthews, P A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title | A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title_full | A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title_fullStr | A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title_short | A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review |
| title_sort | blind spot confronting the stigma of hepatitis b virus hbv infection a systematic review |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mokayaj ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT mcnaughtona ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT burbridgel ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT mapongat ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT oharag ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT anderssonm ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT seeleyj ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT matthewsp ablindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT mokayaj blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT mcnaughtona blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT burbridgel blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT mapongat blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT oharag blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT anderssonm blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT seeleyj blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview AT matthewsp blindspotconfrontingthestigmaofhepatitisbvirushbvinfectionasystematicreview |