Evaluation of Aids and Hepatitis-B knowledge and job satisfaction among hairdressers and barbers in Turkey

Blood-borne viruses, includingthe human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus, have certain common epidemiological characteristics and these viruses infect millions of people worldwide. This study aimed to determine the job satisfaction and the level of knowledge and practices regarding infectious diseases of employees working as hairdressers and barbers.This descriptive and cross-sectional study comprised 1200 hairdressers and barbers. The study sample comprised 628 people who consented to participate in the study. The mean age of the participants who participated in the study was 28, 13 ± 6. 9 years. The mean job satisfaction score of the participants was 3.85 ± 0.58. The job satisfaction score was found to be higher among those with sufficient knowledge of hepatitis B (p < 0.005). Employees should be provided performance trainings to achieve job satisfaction. It is recommended that employees be encouraged to wear gloves and gowns to protect their health and prevent contamination.

Knowledge, attitudes and prevention practices regarding HIV/AIDS among barbers in Ho municipality, Ghana.

Barbering poses risks of HIV transmission if it is not conducted in a hygienic manner. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and prevention practices regarding HIV transmission among barbers in the Ho Municipality, Ghana. A cross-sectional design was employed in Ho Municipality, and data were collected from 121 participants and analysed using Stata version 13.0 at the significance level of 0.05. Knowledge was low (63.6%) and was associated with attitude [COR=4.37 (95% CI: 1.98-9.62); p<0.001] and with level of education [COR=4.92 (95% CI: 1.70-14.21); p=0.003]. Attitude was inadequate (58.7%) and was associated with level of education [COR=3.47 (95% CI: 1.18-10.14); p=0.023]. Poor prevention practice was high (87.6%) and was associated with work experience [COR=20.72 (95% CI: 3.86-111.05); p<0.001] and location of operation [COR=4.92 (95% CI: 1.60-15.14); p=0.006]. Programmes aimed at improving knowledge, attitudes and practices should focus on Barbers in urban communities, those without any formal education, and those with less than five years work experience.

Blood and virus detection on barber clippers

Background. Bleeding from the popular clean-shave 'chiskop' haircut was recently reported as prevalent in South Africa (SA), a country with 6.9 million HIV-infected people.Objectives. To investigate the prevalence of barber hair clipper contamination with blood and HIV and hepatitis B viruses.Methods. Fifty barbers from three townships in Cape Town, SA, were invited to participate. One clipper from each barber was collected immediately after it had been used for a clean-shave haircut. Each clipper was rinsed with phosphate-buffered saline and then submerged in viral medium. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify the blood-specific RNA marker haemoglobin beta (HBB), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV.Results. The clean-shave haircut was the most common haircut requested by clients (78%). Of the clippers collected, 42% were positive for HBB, confirming detection of blood, none were positive for HIV, and 4 (8%) were positive for HBV. Two clippers (clippers 16 and 20) were positive on qualitative HBV PCR. HBV DNA from clipper 16 clustered with genotype A sequences from SA, India, Brazil and Martinique, while clipper 20 clustered with SA genotype D sequences. The clipper 20 sequence was identical to a subtype D sequence (GenBank accession AY233291) from Gauteng, SA.Conclusions. This study confirms that there is significant contamination of barber hair clippers with blood and blood-borne viruses. Hepatitis B was detected with enough DNA copies to pose a risk of transmitting infection. Although HIV was not detected in this small study, the risk of transmission should be quantified. Further studies to investigate barber clipper sterilisation practices and whether the clean-shave hairstyle is an independent risk factor for HIV, HBV and hepatitis C virus infections are warranted. Public education on individual clipper ownership (as is the case with a toothbrush) should be advocated for clean-shave and blade-fade haircuts

Occupational health problems and work practices of hairdressers in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

There are several million hairdressers worldwide who are chronically exposed to various chemicals used in hairdressing business. This study aimed at determining the occupational health problems and work practices of hairdressers in Uyo, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in March 2017.The study participants consisted of all consenting hairdressers in Uyo metropolis, Nigeria who had been working for at least 6 months prior to the study. Data obtained was analyzed using STATA 12.1 software. Level of significance was set at 5%. A total of 429 hairdressers participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 28.5 �7.5 years. Majority, (88.3%) were females and 63.9% were single. Ninety percent had at least secondary education, while 47.6% had worked for > 3years. Health problems reported included back pain 61.5%, tiredness 57.1%, Itching/ redness of hands 43.1%, eye itching 26.1%, catarrh 22.8% and hearing difficulty 17.7%. Injuries included needle pricks 59.0% and cuts 46.9%. Standing for > 8 hours was reported by 33% of respondents. Use of any personal protective equipment (PPE) was 67.6%. The most commonly used was glove 42.7%. Awareness about PPE increased with respondent's level of education (p<0.05).Hand lesions were significantly less among those who used gloves as 95.6% had no chemical burns and rashes, 95.1% experienced no dryness and 63.4% had no itching/redness (p<0.05). The respondents reported several health problems. Work practices included poor use of PPE and prolonged standing. Regular workplace safety training, shift duty and use of ergonomically suitable chairs are advocated for hairdressers

Knowledge and occupational hazards of barbers in the transmission of hepatitis B and C was low in Kumasi, Ghana.

INTRODUCTION: Blood borne viral hepatitis transmission still ranges between 4-20% in many Ghanaian communities. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) also called liver cancer is reported as the leading cause of cancer mortality among males in Ghana. We studied the knowledge and risk factors associated with barbers' occupation in the transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS: A randomized cross-sectional survey of 200 barbershops was conducted in Kumasi between January and August 2013. Barbershops, which operated continuously for more than 8 months, were selected for the study. Structured questionnaires were administered to the study participants. Data was entered and analysed in Microsoft Excel spread sheet and SPSS v12. The percentage value of each question was calculated. RESULTS: All the barbers involved in this study used a new razor blade on every client and claimed to sterilize the hair trimmers after use on every client. The methods of sterilization; 46.5% of the barbers used the ultraviolet radiation sterilizer cabinet, 29% used 70% alcohol and 23% used antiseptic solutions. More than thirty-six percent (36.5%) and 5% of the barbers had heard of HBV and HCV respectively. Only 7% and none knew the route of transmission of HBV and HCV respectively, whereas 7% knew sharing razor blade or hair trimmer could transmit both HBV and HCV. More so, 2% knew HBV and HCV could cause cancer and 2% had received the HBV vaccine. The majority of barbers (63%) had education up to the junior secondary school level. None of the barbers used a new apron nor washed their hands after work on each client. CONCLUSION: Awareness of barbers about HBV or HCV and job-related factors contributing to spread of infections was very poor among the vast majority of the barbers studied. Thus, giving training for the barbers is required toward prevention of blood- borne infections associated to their profession.

Educational Intervention among Barbers to Improve Their Knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS: A Pilot Study from a South Asian Country.

One of the Millennium Development Goals is to combat HIV, the burden of which continues to increase in developing countries, like Pakistan. The prevalence is high among the high-risk population, and the use of unsterilized surgical instruments, traditional straight razors, and blades adds to the spread of this disease. This study assesses the effect of an educational intervention on the knowledge of 70 barbers practising in a suburban community in Pakistan regarding HIV and its symptoms and transmission. At baseline, only 10% of the barbers reported that they had ever heard about HIV compared to 49% after the intervention. Similarly, 4% and 6% of them had good knowledge at baseline about symptoms and transmission of the disease, increasing to 39% and 43% respectively, after the intervention (p<0.001). The results of this educational intervention warrant consideration of activation of mass campaigns to increase public awareness about bloodborne diseases and to educate personnel who might harm the persons in their communities by unsafe practices.

Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia: from public health and microbiological perspectives.

BACKGROUND: HIV and other blood borne infections can be transmitted through the use of improperly sterilized and disinfected sharp equipments. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted from January to June, 2010 to assess the potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia from public health and microbiological perspectives. Barbers in barbershop were interviewed using pre-designed questionnaires and check lists were used to evaluate barbering practice. Microbiological data from tips of the sharpener before and after the barbering was collected and processed as per the standard procedure. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty three barbering sessions and barbers were observed in which 106 (86.2%) were males. Ninety six (78%) of the respondents knew that HIV could be transmitted by sharing non-sterile sharp instruments. Among the total participants 59 (48%) had the correct knowledge of what sterilization mean and 111 (94.1%) of them believed its importance in their work place. Barbers had a mean knowledge score of 6 ± 1.5 out of a score of 10 regarding sterilization and disinfection as well as in the transmission of HIV in their work place. Three (2.5%) barbers were disagreed that unsterilized blade can transmit skin diseases and 26 (21.3%) of them believed disinfection is enough to avoid microbes from sharp objects. Ninety two (76.7%) barbers were using sterilization in their establishment. According to Likert scaling almost all sterilization and disinfection procedures were riskily practiced and respondents had poor level of knowledge. No significant association was found to influence the decontamination and sterilization of barbering equipments except monthly income, pre and post colony count of microbes identified. The isolation of normal skin flora in the pre-and post-sterilization and disinfectant procedures and less average percent colony reduction showed that sterilization and disinfectant practices in barbershop were generally poor that proofed proper sterilization and/or disinfection techniques were unfavorable. CONCLUSION: This study has revealed the presence of potential risk of HIV and other blood borne disease transmission among the barbers of the study areas. Thus continuous and intensified public health strategies on health education, training, supervision and monitoring are needed to facilitate the adoption of effective methods of sterilization and/or disinfection.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of barbers regarding hepatitis B and C viral infection in Sana'a city, Yemen.

There is strong evidence that razors, barber's scissors, nail files and body piercing instruments are risk factors for transmission of hepatitis B and C. to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding hepatitis B and C virus among barbers in Sana'a city. KAP study was conducted from July-September 2011. Two hundred and thirty four barbershops were surveyed. Out of 234 barber shops, 73.1% heard about viral hepatitis B and C. The awareness of modes of transmission of hepatitis and the different sources/risk factors were moderate, ranging from 51.6% who knew that hepatitis can be transmitted through sexual transmitted to 82.1% who knew that hepatitis can be transmitted through blood transfusion. 54.9% of barbers did not agree that it was essential to have periodic tests for HBV and HCV; however, 67.5%would themselves like to be tested for these infections. 32% washed their hands before attending each client, 59% cleaned instruments with disinfectant between clients, 96.1% washed razors with tap water before use on a new client, 92.6% also washed their razors with an antiseptic solution after every use, 87% used a new blade on new clients and 55% used disinfectants for skin cuts. In Yemen, a large number of barbers are shaving clients with an old style razor with a permanent blade. There is moderate awareness about the various modes of transmission of hepatitis among the barbers.

Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice among professional barbers in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing concern that barbering procedures could create opportunities for HIV transmission. However, little is known about Nigerian barbers' practices relating to the prevention of HIV. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the precautionary measures for the prevention of HIV among commercial barbers in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: Data were collected using validated checklist to directly observe ninety barbering procedures in forty-five barber shops randomly selected from three communities that have been categorized as inner-core, transitory and peripheral. RESULTS: Respondents were all males with mean age of 36(±10.2) years. Ninety-eight percent had at least primary school education and all of them learnt barbering through apprenticeship. The instruments used were razor blades (11.1%), manual clippers (8.9%) and electric clippers (80%). Clippers were sterilized in 10% and disinfected in 72.5%, while no decontamination was carried out in 17.5% of the sessions. Fifty two percent of the disinfections involved the use of kerosene, a disinfectant not recommended for HIV inactivation; 48.3% of the disinfectants were not in the original containers while 53.4% of the sessions involved the use of same brush for cleaning clipper and brushing hair. Hand-held flame and Ultra-violet light sterilizer were used in 50% of the sterilization process. Barbers in the high-class peripheral communities were more likely to practice appropriate equipment decontamination than those from lower-class inner-core communities. There was blade-to-skin contact in all and accidental cuts occurred in three of the sessions and none was properly managed. CONCLUSION: The risk of transmitting HIV is high in the barbershops in the study area. Health education strategies such as training, supportive supervision and peer education are needed to facilitate the adoption of effective precautionary measures against HIV infection among barbers.

Awareness among barbers about health hazards associated with their profession.

BACKGROUND: Barbers are important professionals of the community which are still owned, cared and financed by the community especially the rural one. Barbers besides performing duties in social events like marriage, circumcision etc is also responsible for hair and nail cutting. In urban settings they have developed their profession by incorporating facial massage and make-up. It is the need of their profession to utilize instruments like knife, blades etc. The objective of the study was to assess awareness among barbers regarding health hazards related to their profession and to identify professional practices linked with infection transmission. METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Kharian city of district Gujrat, located almost mid-way between Lahore and Islamabad, from June 2003 to September 2003. Sample of 50 barbers were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data was collected by using a semi-structured questionnaire and a checklist. Data was analyzed using SPSS 10. RESULTS: The mean age of barbers interviewed was 33.3 years with SD +/- 8.3. It was found that 29 (58%) barbers denied about any health hazards associated with their profession whereas 21 (42%) had knew about hepatitis, AIDS; they also described the role of contaminated blades, clips, towels, apron, and combs in causing skin problems. It was observed that 90% of barbers did not wash hands, 80% did not change the apron, 66% did not change towel during barbering services to different customers. Besides 7 (14%) barbers were also performing minor surgeries like circumcision, in growing toe nail excision and abscess drainage. There was significant difference in level of awareness among barbers in respect of age; educational status and duration of working. Age group (15-25) had better knowledge about the health hazards than barbers in age group (26-50). There is a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the awareness of those who got formal education. As for the effect of media on the knowledge of these workers, it was observed that 78% of them had the access to TV and out of these 69% had significant knowledge about health hazards related to barbering profession. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge among barbers about health hazards associated with their profession is very poor. Majority of them do not have any perception of unhealthy working practices in barbering. Awareness about threat of receiving hazardous infection from their customers is also unsatisfactory.

Lubricant and razor debridement in partial thickness burn.

By aiming to relieve pain from removing blisters in partial thickness burn, we tested whether the application of a sterile lubricant (KY-Jelly) on blisters and the use of a sterile razor to remove their roof can reduce algesia in humans, compared to a conventional method. A prospective randomized controlled designed study was performed on 20 patients. A visual pain scale was used by patients to evaluate pain experienced.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae: review and update on new treatment modalities.

Pseudofolliculits barbae, PFB, is a common cutaneous disease encountered frequently in medical practice. PFB represents a chronic inflammatory condition of the hair follicle caused by ingrown hairs producing an inflammatory foreign body reaction. The pathogenesis of PFB is multifactorial. Factors such as hair type and direction of hair growth play a role in the initial inflammatory reaction. In the armed forces, PFB represents a real challenge for both the physician and the patient. The combat environment, with the recent threat of biological and chemical weapons, requires the servicemen to be clean-shaven for appropriate gas mask fitting around the face. This article will review the etiology, pathogenesis, classification, and newer treatment modalities in the management of PFB.