Statut socio-économique, comportements de santé et santé des adolescents français : l’enquête Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)

Hepatitis C awareness among adolescents in the Alpes-Maritimes area of France

OBJECTIVES

Certain practices with a potential risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission begin early, during adolescence. In 2004, primary prevention interventions targeting adolescents aged 13-17 years attending school in the Alpes-Maritimes region of France were conducted by the "Réseau Hépatite C Ville Hôpital Côte d'Azur". The aim of this study was to assess the adolescents' knowledge about HCV and to evaluate the impact of such interventions.

METHODS

A random sample of secondary state schools in the Alpes-Maritimes was invited to participate in the study. Before and after presenting a slide show about HCV in the selected classrooms, the investigators asked the students to complete an anonymous self-administered questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge about HCV infection.

RESULTS

The intervention concerned a study population of 2,946 students, mean age 14.4 +/- 2.5 years. Before the interventions, 21% had good knowledge of HCV infection and 24% had good know-ledge of disease contagion. These percentages increased significantly after the interventions to 95% and 84% respectively. Knowledge improvement was more significant among high school students and among students whose parents had an employment.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents are poorly informed about HCV infection. The present intervention enabled significant improvement in their knowledge about the infection and disease contagion, independently of gender, age and geographical area.