title: Prevalence of risk factors for hepatitis C and associated factors: a population-based study in southern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The hepatitis C is a severe public health problem worldwide because its consequences. Studies which aim at determining the prevalence of risk factors are really important to understand the problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with some risk factors for the disease in a community, called Restinga, located in the city of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper is based on a population-based cross-sectional study, with systematic sampling and proportional to the size of census tracts in which 3,391 adults answered a standardized questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of blood transfusion among the people who were interviewed was 14.98%, 60.83% of those had it before 1993. A total of 16.16% of the people had a tattoo, 7.23% wore a piercing, 1.09% said they had already injected illicit drugs and 12.39% reported previous hospitalization. Prevalence ratios showed that tattoos were more common among young people, piercings among women and illicit drugs among men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To summarize, the recognition of risk factors for hepatitis C enables proper screening of possible carriers of the hepatitis C virus, thus enabling a reduction in virus shedding. However, being only possible if health services are prepared to deal with hepatitis C virus, through education and public awareness.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Departamento de Saúde Coletiva, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. davidkvitko@gmail.com
authors.forename: David Timm
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Kvitko
authors.forename: Gisele Alsina Nader
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Maria Eugênia Bresolin
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult