RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To provide data for the control and prevention of hepatitis B and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) status among the appliances and practitioners working in the public service places. METHODS: 63 beauty parlors, barber shops and bathing centers selected under stratified randomization sampling method and 682 workers were investigated through questionnaire. HBsAg from th e appliances of the public service places and employee was detected by RIA. RESULTS: Two main sanitizing modes that including alcohol cleaning (34.60%) and ultraviolet light disinfection (30.79%) were used. The rates of testing on HBsAg among the appliances were 2.13% at the public service places, and were 0.63%, 2.67% and 3.70% in large-, medium- and small-sized appliances respectively. The rate of testing on HBsAg on large-, medium- and small- sized appliances were statistically different (chi2 = 6.68, P < 0.05). The positive rates of HBsAg on the appliances of beauty parlors, barbering shops and footbath inns were 2.97%, 0.61% and 3.42% respectively. People working in different service sites had different rates of HBsAg: those who worked at the 'acne needle' and the forceps were 5.13% and 4.17%. The positive rate of HBsAg among the workers in the public service places was 7.13%. The rates of HBsAgamong the workers in large-, medium- and small-sized public service places were 7.34%, 8.33% and 2.94% respectively. The rates of HBsAg among the workers in beauty parlors, barbering shops, footbath inns and bathing centers were 9.01%, 6.37%, 4.35% and 7.29% respectively. HBsAg positive rates were different among the workers working at different service sites: 13.33% at tattoo business, 12.68% in pedicles workers and 8.03% in massagists. CONCLUSION: It is important to improve the sanitizing management of the appliances used in the public service places and to improve the knowledge, attitude, as well as practice of vaccination on hepatitis B among those populations.