Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. It is vertically transmitted, highly infectious, and an occupational hazard for healthcare providers, causing acute and chronic liver disease. Despite suboptimal intrapartum HBV infection prevention in many developing settings, evidence on obstetric healthcare providers' knowledge and practices in Central Ethiopia remains limited. This study aimed to assess obstetric healthcare providers' knowledge and practices regarding intrapartum HBV infection prevention and their associated factors in public hospitals in the Kembata Zone of Central Ethiopia. A multicenter facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 obstetric healthcare providers in public hospitals of the Kembata Zone, Central Ethiopia, from April 3 to June 4, 2025. All eligible providers were included through a census, and data were collected using pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaires. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with knowledge and practices of intrapartum HBV infection prevention. Variables with p < 0.05 in the multivariable analysis were considered statistically significant. The overall level of knowledge regarding intrapartum HBV infection prevention among obstetric healthcare providers was 72.9% (95% CI: 69.2-75.3), while 53.8% (95% CI: 50.3-56.3) had good practice regarding intrapartum HBV infection prevention. Years of work experience (AOR = 4.29; 95% CI: 2.52-9.36), availability of infection prevention guidelines (AOR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.49-5.62), and training (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI: 1.97-6.47) were significantly associated with good knowledge of HBV infection prevention. Furthermore, work experience (AOR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.57-6.71), training (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.37-5.80), and good knowledge (AOR = 4.31; 95% CI: 1.99-8.67) were significantly associated with good practice of intrapartum HBV infection prevention. The study showed that most participants had good knowledge, whereas nearly half had good practice of intrapartum HBV infection prevention. Strengthening training and access to guidelines could be considered to support better prevention practices.