Background: Hepatitis viruses are a type of liver disease which is the leading cause of liver cancer
and cirrhosis. Adequate information and good practice are the essential factors to reduce the risk of
the disease. This study aimed to: Assess the students' level of knowledge and reported practices
related to prevention of viral hepatitis. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to
conduct this study. Setting: This study was conducted at 5 preparatory schools (Huda Sharawi for
girls, Khaled Ebn El- walid, Salah Salem for boys, El-Taiser for girls, El –Mohandes El –Nabwi) and
1 secondary public school (El-Shaimaa for girls) in Sohag Governorate. Subjects: A convenient
sample of 396 students was selected from the previously mentioned schools. Tools of data collection:
First tool: Predesigned self-administered questionnaire. Second tool: Students' reported practices
assessment. Results: The present study showed that nearly half of studied students are in the age
group 11- < 13 years with mean age 13.23± 1.88 years and less than two thirds of them were female.
In addition, more than three quarters of them had unsatisfactory level of knowledge and two thirds of
them had satisfactory level of total reported practices related to prevention of viral hepatitis.
Conclusion: There was a positive correlation between total knowledge of the studied students and
total reported practices regarding prevention of viral hepatitis. Also, it was concluded that age of
students, gender, the accompanying persons in home, ranking, level of education for both the
studied students & their mothers, number of family members, mass media, health care worker and
school considered as factors that affect the students' awareness about viral hepatitis.
Recommendation: Conducting health education programs at school to raise the awareness of the
students about viral hepatitis and its prevention.