Hepatitis B Knowledge Levels of Turkish Nursing and Midwifery Students
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine knowledge levels of students in School of Health, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, and examine the influence of various factors on hepatitis B knowledge levels.
Method: The study was conducted in the School of Health of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University between April and June 2009. All of the 296 students in the school were planned to be included in the study. Survey forms; prepared in the light of the data reported in the literature by investigators, and composed of 37 questions, were delivered to the students and they were asked to fill them out. 18.2% of the students couldn’t be reached. Thus, only 242 students (81.8%) were included in the study. 
Results: While 87.2% of the students expressed sexual intercourse as a transmission route of HBV, 67.4% mentioned perinatal route, 96.7% expressed blood and blood products, 79.8% mentioned use of common goods such as towel and toothbrush. 78.1% of the students did not consider breast milk as a transmission route for HPV, whereas fecal-oral route, handshake-hugging, and kissing were not known to be a way of transmission for HPV in 65.7%, 86.8%, and 56.2% of the study population, respectively. Mean level of hepatitis B knowledge among students was 69.8±19.4. Knowledge score of nursing students was 1.1 points higher than that of midwifery students and the difference between them was not significant. As the college year elevated, hepatitis B knowledge scores increased as well. 
Conclusion: Hepatitis B knowledge score of undergraduate students in Nursing and Midwifery Departments of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, was 69.8±19.4. Since hepatitis B knowledge score raises parallel to the elevation of college year, hepatitis B education should be provided in the first year.