KEYWORDS:
Liver Wellness
Hepatitis
Prevention

BACKGROUND:
Memorable and effective communication techniques promoting liver wellness and immunization.


OBJECTIVE(S):
To provide interesting and effective communication techniques to help individuals understand the importance of the liver, motivating them to avoid liver damaging activities, make healthful lifestyle decisions and accept hepatitis immunizations.


METHOD(S):
Describing a few functions of the non-complaining liver, using easy-to-relate-to-analogies, helps individuals realize how important the liver is to their health and well-being. Hepatitis viruses and their transmission are identified plus descriptions of how viruses, drugs and alcohol can cause permanent damage to liver cells, the “employees” in the body’s internal power plant. Risk behaviors are identified and depicted in a video called “Respect Yourself - Protect Yourself”. Extensive evaluations of these techniques prove that once informed, individuals are motivated to avoid liver damaging activities as well as understand the importance of the protection provided by hepatitis vaccines.

RESULT(S):
Through the promotion of liver wellness in schools, community organizations, and the media, individuals can become better informed and encouraged to take responsibility for their own health, avoid liver damaging activities and accept immunization.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
We must expand the pool of informed individuals who are able to choose healthier lifestyle behaviors, to assess the value of hepatitis vaccines, and discount allegations being made by anti-vaccine groups who are undermining confidence in Public Health initiatives to bring viral hepatitis under control.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will be able to:
Identify effective communication techniques to help individuals understand some of the basic functions of the liver.
Define how hepatitis A. B and C are spread.
Describe techniques to motivate individuals to accept hepatitis A and B vaccination.
Describe risk factors related to substance abuse and hepatitis