DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cjsxksnkd
title: Tattooing and vaccination uptake are key predictors of hepatitis B virus infection among sellers and workers in a market in Ghana

description: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health challenge
 in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, despite the introduction of infant
 vaccination programs. Limited data exist on HBV prevalence and risk
 factors in informal sector populations such as market workers, who may
 face unique occupational and behavioural exposures. This study assessed
 the prevalence and determinants of HBV infection among sellers and workers
 at a market in Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 489
 adult market workers. Participants were selected through stratified random
 sampling across occupational groups. Data on sociodemographic,
 occupational, and behavioral factors were collected using structured
 questionnaires. On-site testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
 was performed using the Hightop One Step Rapid Test kit. Bivariate and
 multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify
 independent predictors of HBV infection. The overall prevalence of HBV
 infection was 7.36% (36/489), consistent with intermediate-to-high
 endemicity. Multivariate analysis identified three independent predictors
 of HBV infection: male gender (aOR = 0.455, 95% CI: 0.221–0.937; p =
 0.033), presence of tattoos (aOR = 0.283, 95% CI: 0.110–0.730; p = 0.009),
 and vaccination status (unvaccinated individuals had 3.37-fold increased
 odds of infection; 95% CI: 1.395–8.142; p = 0.007). HBV prevalence
 declined progressively with increasing vaccine doses, from 9.2% in
 unvaccinated individuals to 2.3% among those who had completed three or
 more doses. HBV infection is common among the market workers, with
 prevalence exceeding both continental and global estimates. Male gender,
 tattooing, and poor vaccination uptake were significant predictors of
 infection. Strengthening adult vaccination programs, promoting safe
 tattooing practices, and implementing male-focused screening and
 prevention interventions are critical to reducing HBV burden and achieving
 Ghana’s contribution to the WHO goal of eliminating HBV by 2030.
description: Data collection A well-structured
 questionnaire was pretested, validated, and administered through
 face-to-face interviews with the participants to collect data on their
 sociodemographic, occupational, HBV vaccination status, and behavioural
 factors. Data collection was conducted by trained
 research assistants proficient in local languages. Before commencement of
 the study, all researchers underwent training and retraining prior to the
 pretesting of the questionnaire. After each day of data collection, a
 cadre of investigators meticulously reviewed the data obtained, checking
 for inconsistencies and omissions.
description: # Tattooing and vaccination uptake are key predictors of hepatitis B virus
 infection among sellers and workers in a market in Ghana Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.cjsxksnkd](10.5061/dryad.cjsxksnkd) ## Description of the
 data and file structure A well-structured questionnaire was pretested,
 validated, and administered through face-to-face interviews with the
 participants to collect data on their sociodemographic, occupational, HBV
 vaccination status, and behavioural factors. Data collection was conducted
 by trained research assistants proficient in local languages. Before
 commencement of the study, all researchers underwent training and
 retraining prior to the pretesting of the questionnaire. After each day of
 data collection, a cadre of investigators meticulously reviewed the data
 obtained, checking for inconsistencies and omissions. ### Files and
 variables #### File: KJM1_DATASET_V4.xlsx **Description:** This file
 contains the dataset for the study under consideration ##### Variables
 **Definition of column headers** * HBV: Hepatitis B virus * HBV status:
 whether or not the study participant has HBV infection * Marital status:
 whether or not the study participant is married * Participant ID: Specific
 code given to study participant to ensure anonymity. * Have you ever heard
 of hepatitis B infection?: This is to provide the information whether or
 not a participant has heard of HBV infection * If yes, what is your source
 of information on hepatitis B?: Here participant gives the source of
 information on HBV infection * Which group of people are encouraged to
 take the hepatitis B vaccine? : This is to tell what a participant knows
 about who should take the HBV vaccine * Have you taken Hepatitis B vaccine
 before?: to know if the participant has taken the HBV vaccine * If no,
 (not vaccinated), will you take the hepatitis B vaccine if it were given
 free of charge?: To assess if payment for vaccination could be a barrier
 to vaccine uptake *  If yes, how many doses of the hepatitis B vaccine
 have you taken?: To know the number of shots taken by a participant * Do
 you have a close person who has HBV infection?: To assess if having a
 close person with HBV could have an impact on vaccine uptake or infection
 prevalence * Where you have stayed for the greater part of your life, will
 you consider that place to be? : To assess if living in a rural or urban
 centre has influence on vaccine uptake or HBV infection prevalence. * How
 many different sexual partners have you had since childhood/lifetime?: To
 assess whether or not the number of sexual partners could influence HBV
 prevalence * To the best of your knowledge, have you ever had STDs before,
 for example HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea or Chlamydia?: To assess
 if the presence of STD could influence HBV prevalence * At which age did
 you have your first sexual intercourse?: To assess if the age of first sex
 could influence HBV prevalence * Have you been given blood transfusion
 before?: To assess if blood transfusion could influence HBV prevalence. *
 Do you have tattoo on you?: To assess if the presence of a tattoo could
 influence HBV prevalence. * Have fingernails/toenails clippers clipped
 your nails for you before?: To assess if the presence of a tattoo could
 influence HBV prevalence.  * Have you received education or training on
 Hepatitis B before?: To assess if receiving education on HBV could
 influence HBV prevalence and vaccine uptake.  N/A: Not applicable
 Other detailed individual-level responses on sensitive topics (e.g.,
 sexual history, etc.) have been removed, and others have been coded ##
 Human subjects data Written informed consent was obtained from all
 participants after explaining the purpose, procedures, benefits, and
 potential risks of the study in their preferred language. Confidentiality
 was maintained by using unique identification codes in place of personal
 identifiers on all study documents. All the participants consented to
 public data sharing.