Sociodemographic Characteristics, Knowledge and Prevalence of Viral Hepatitis Infection Among Vietnamese Americans at Community Screenings

Abstract

Few studies have investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infection among Vietnamese Americans (VAs). The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection, identify the sociodemographic characteristics of the HBV infected population and the level of HBV knowledge among VAs in the Baltimore-Washington-Metropolitan-Areas with data from a health fair in 2011. A total of 617 VAs received serological testing for HBV and HCV, and 329 completed a survey of HBV knowledge assessment. About 9% were infected with HBV and 5% with HCV. VAs younger than 30 years had the highest HBV prevalence (13.1%) followed by those age 41–50 years (12.1%). The prevalence of HCV infection was particularly higher among those older than 70 years old (13.9%). Misunderstanding HBV as a food-borne disease is prevalent among VAs. Efforts to develop public health screening and education programs targeting this population are warranted.

Factors Associated with Hepatitis B Knowledge Among Vietnamese Americans: A Population-Based Survey

“…Many participants incorrectly believed that smoking cigarettes, sneezing or coughing, or sharing food, drink, and utensils could transmit HBV. These results are consistent with previous studies of knowledge about routes of HBV transmission [15,23]. We found that 86.0% of participants in our study 1 3…”

“…There may also have been ongoing community eforts to increase awareness of HBV [24][25][26]. Even though the percentage of participants in this study knowing that HBV could be transmitted by sexual intercourse with an infected person, by sharing toothbrushes, and by an infected person who looks and feels healthy were higher than previous studies [15,23], they are still suboptimal. Given the burden of HBV infections and HBV-related liver disease in this population, knowledge about HBV transmission needs improvement.…”

“…Given the burden of HBV infections and HBV-related liver disease in this population, knowledge about HBV transmission needs improvement. Incorrect knowledge about the modes of HBV transmission can lead to misguided preventive behaviors and continued stigma against those with HBV [23]. Concern about social stigma has been a documented barrier to HBV screening, diagnosis, and treatment: respondents face fear and shame regarding transmission of HBV to their loved ones and discrimination in the workplace or school [18,25,27,28].…”

Awareness of chronic viral hepatitis in the United States: An update from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…Data from a major US hospital network in Connecticut showed that only 17.1% of people undergoing chemotherapy were screened for HBV infection . Furthermore, HBV testing rate prior to anti‐TNF inhibitor was 23.7% in a recent US national study of inflammatory bowel disease patients …”

Immigration and viral hepatitis

“…This is likely due to a combination of factors, including poor knowledge of the diseases, their risk factors and symptoms, lack of access to healthcare and health information, stigma associated with disease, as well as the lack of symptoms from the early stages of liver disease such as viral hepatitis [52,53]. Estimates from Canadian studies show that immigrants and refugees are 2-5 times more likely to die from liver disease than the baseline population [54].…”