[Study on the risk factors of HBV infection in children under the age of 15 in Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors of HBV infection in children under the age of 15 in Shanghai and to further enhance the effectiveness of hepatitis B vaccines among children. METHODS: Using the data from Shanghai under the national hepatitis B serum epidemiological survey in 2006, 599 children aged 1 - 15 years old were selected as subjects, the subjects were divided into study group and control group by their status on HBV infection. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify the risk factors of HBV infection among children. RESULTS: Out of 599 children, 15 of them were infected by HBV with the infection rate as 2.50%. Data from both univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the HBsAg status of their mothers during pregnancy, the history of hepatitis B vaccination and place of birth appeared to be risk factors of hepatitis B infection (P < 0.05), with the OR value of 5.338 for HBsAg-positive mother, 42.118 for no history of hepatitis B vaccination and 12.239 for home-delivery, respectively. CONCLUSION: In order to further decrease the rate of HBV infection among children in Shanghai, intervention should be focusing on both migrant and HBsAg-positive pregnant women. Also, the condition of hepatitis B vaccine immunization for newborns in some township hospitals should be improved.