Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward hepatitis B-related cirrhosis among patients

This study investigated the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to hepatitis B-related cirrhosis among patients at Lianyungang First People's Hospital from May 15 to December 15, 2023. A total of 476 valid questionnaires were analyzed, revealing that 42.86% of participants had a high school or technical school education, with an average age of 48.83 years. The mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were 13.97, 32.96, and 34.08, respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between knowledge and practice (r = - 0.275, p < 0.001). However, when education level was controlled for, this correlation was attenuated and became non-significant. Item-level analysis further revealed that specific knowledge areas-such as understanding cirrhosis causes, antiviral treatment, and symptom recognition-were positively associated with key self-care practices. Multivariate logistic regression identified several factors that were positively associated with proactive practice: attitude (OR = 1.247, 95% CI 1.152-1.360, p < 0.001), Patient Activation Measure (OR = 1.291, 95% CI 1.146-1.470, p < 0.001), and a monthly per capita income exceeding 10,000 yuan (OR = 30.518, 95% CI 1.924-636.449, P = 0.019). In contrast, the following factors were negatively associated with proactive practice: high school or technical school education (OR = 0.106, 95% CI 0.012-0.824, P = 0.035), presence of ascites (OR = 0.024, 95% CI 0.002-0.185, P = 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (OR = 199.880, 95% CI 25.120-3027.377, p < 0.001), electrolyte imbalance (OR = 0.107, 95% CI 0.020-0.455, P = 0.004), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR = 0.035, 95% CI 0.002-0.332, P = 0.007), and hypertension (OR = 0.030, 95% CI 0.001-0.287, P = 0.008). Overall, patients exhibited insufficient knowledge but maintained positive attitudes and practices. These findings highlight the importance of delivering targeted educational interventions that emphasize actionable knowledge and reinforce positive attitudes to enhance patient self-management and clinical outcomes.