Seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and its correlation with risk factors among new recruits in Turkey

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and related risk factors among new recruits in a military unit in Turkey. METHODS: Eight thousand five hundred eighty-nine newly-recruited soldiers were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were drawn from them between January 2006 and December 2006 and ELISA technique was applied to the samples. In addition, questions on the risk factors of hepatitis B exposure were asked to the participants in the survey. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that HBsAg seroprevalence was 2.8%. ...