title: Factors affecting the compliance of the antenatal hepatitis B screening programme in Italy.
abstract: The effectiveness in the prevention of perinatally transmitted HBV infection was assessed in 11858 pregnant women consecutively recruited in public and private hospitals in six Italian regions during a 2 months period in 2001. Of them 10881 (91.8%) attended HBsAg antenatal screening. The overall HBsAg prevalence was 1.7% (CI 95%: 1.4-1.9); it was 1.4% (CI 95%: 1.2-1.7) in pregnant women born in Italy but 5.9% (CI 95%: 4.1-8.1) in those born in Asia, Africa, central and south America, and eastern Europe. Results of multiple logistic regression analysis indicate that birth in foreign countries (OR 2.0; CI 95%: 1.3-3.0), family size with more than 4 members in the household (OR 3.5; CI 95%:2.7-4.6), and birth in a private hospital (OR 1.9; CI 95%: 1.3-2.8) were all independent predictors of lack of adherence to HBsAg screening. Out of the 182 new-borns of HBsAg positive mothers 172 (95.0%) were given active plus passive immunisation; this figure was 100% in new-borns of foreign mothers. These findings evidence a good effectiveness in the prevention of perinatally transmitted HBV in Italy. More efforts should be addressed to improve the effectiveness of the programme among foreign pregnant women who have high rate of HBsAg and more likely escape HBsAg screening than Italian pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stroffolini
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: Andrè
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szklo
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernacchia
authors.forename: Crescenzo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bove
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colucci
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cristina Coppola
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Argenio
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopalco
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parlato
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ragni
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simonetti
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zotti
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D000569:Americas / Q000208:ethnology; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007558:Italy; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines