Hygiena 2026, 71(3):98-102 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1914

Hepatitis C and screening results in marginalised communities of the Banská Bystrica region

Zuzana Jányová, Lucia Červená, Mária Belovičová
Fakulta verejného zdravotníctva, Slovenská zdravotnícka univerzita, Bratislava, Slovenská republika

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse awareness, attitudes, and risk behaviours related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in marginalised communities of the Banská Bystrica Region and to evaluate the results of anti-HCV screening.

Methods: The study was conducted as an observational cross-sectional study in 2024–2025. A total of 400 respondents were included who conformed to prior criteria. The research included voluntary screening for antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) which comprised 278 participants by use of validated rapid diagnostic tests. The level of respondents' awareness of HCV was evaluated by a standardised questionnaire, in which individual responses were aggregated into an overall awareness score. Higher scores indicated a greater level of knowledge about methods of transmission, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HCV.

Results: Anti-HCV positivity was detected in 12 individuals (4.3%). A significantly higher prevalence was observed in men compared to women (11.0% vs. 1.5%; OR = 7.86; 95% CI: 1.89–46.36; p = 0.001). A statistically significant association was found between risk behaviour and anti-HCV positivity (p = 0.001). The level of awareness was significantly associated with education (p < 0.001), but not with participation in screening.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the role of risk behaviour in HCV transmission and indicate low health literacy in marginalised communities. Community-based screening combined with targeted education represents an important strategy for early detection and prevention of HCV.

Keywords: hepatitis C, screening, marginalised communities, public health, disease prevention

Received: March 2026; Revised: March 2026; Accepted: September 2026; Published: September 2026  Show citation

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Jányová Z, Červená L, Belovičová M. Hepatitis C and screening results in marginalised communities of the Banská Bystrica region. Hygiena. 2026;71(3):98-102. doi: 10.21101/hygiena.a1914.
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