title: Knowledge about Hepatitis-C among methadone maintenance treatment patients in Israel.
abstract: Ignorance about Hepatitis-C (HCV) among drug users, treatment staff, and policy makers thwarts treatment uptake and facilitates virus transmission. We assessed knowledge about HCV among methadone patients in Israel, where effective HCV-treatment is provided at low-cost within the national health insurance framework, yet few infected methadone patients are treated. In 2006, 512 patients in two methadone clinics in Israel were interviewed, of whom 53% were HCV-positive. The clinics were purposively selected from the 11 methadone clinics in the country. Respondents exhibited poor knowledge about HCV, particularly about diagnosis and treatment. Lesser-educated respondents were three times more likely to score low on HCV-knowledge compared to those with 12+ years of schooling (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.5-5.7. HCV-negative patients were also three-times more likely than HCV-positive patients to score low on the HCV-knowledge scale (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 3.0, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.9-4.7). Enhancing HCV-knowledge may help patients avoid becoming infected and infecting others, allay exaggerated fears about hepatitis, and facilitate HCV-treatment initiation among those infected.
authors.affiliation: Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Rinat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cohen-Moreno
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: Shabtay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bar-Hamburger
authors.forename: Shiela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Neumark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone