Knowledge Attitude and Preventive Practices for Hepatitis-B Virus Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care Unit in Selected Primary Health Centers in Osogbo, Osun State.

Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is a significant public health concern globally, with 257million people chronically infected. Nigeria is considered highly endemic with a prevalence rate of 10%.Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable due to the risk of vertical transmission, which can lead to severehealth issues in infants, including liver cirrhosis and cancer.Aim: This study assessed the level of knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices (KAP) regarding HBVamong pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) in selected primary health care centers in Osogbo,Osun State, Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional health facility-based study design was employed, involving pregnantwomen attending ANC in selected primary health centers and a sample size of 300 were selected usingLeslie Fischer’s formula. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and were analyzed by the useof descriptive statistical tools such as percentages and mean with the aid of SPSS version 25.0 and chi-square analysis was carried out to determine any significant association between variables and a P-value of< 0.05 was considered as significant.Result: Of 300 respondents, majority of the respondents (57.0%) had poor knowledge of Hepatitis-B withonly (43.0%) having good knowledge. (67.67%) had negative attitude, and (32.33%) had positive attitudetowards Hepatitis-B virus. Majority of the respondents (56.67%) demonstrated good preventive practicesand (43.33%) demonstrated poor preventive practices towards Hepatitis-B virus.Conclusion: The findings of this study are expected to highlight significant gaps in knowledge, attitudes,and preventive practices related to HBV among pregnant women. Addressing these gaps through targetedinterventions can potentially reduce the risk of vertical transmission and improve maternal and child healthoutcomes.Keywords: Hepatitis B Virus, Knowledge, Attitude, Preventive Practices, Pregnant Women, AntenatalCare, Osogbo, Nigeria