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Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to:
1. Define healthy disparities in data of hepatitis B infection
2. Develop effective health care and research designs to the cultural and linguistic needs of immigrants Asians
Background:
In Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs), the high chronic hepatitis B infection rate result in a high-risk of premature death due to cirrhosis or hepatoma. Liver cancer rates among APIs are 11.7 times greater than those of the white population. However, evidence shows that through vaccinations, cancer resulting from the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) can be prevented. Eliminating health disparities is the primary goal of Healthy People 2010, and reliable data is imperative to achieving this goal.
Methods:
179 KAs participated in this Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to receive HBV blood screening tests; Hepatitis B screening and liver and kidney function tests were given at no cost at two Korean churches. Vaccination information was obtained from 111 KAs.
Results:
The serological results showed 3% were positive for serum HbsAg, and 57% were positive for serum HBsAb. Only 20 out of 111 Korean Americans (18%) reported that they had received a hepatitis B vaccination; and only 6 reported (5%) that they received a series of three vaccinations. Surprisingly, all of the vaccinations except one were received in Korea, not in the U.S. A.
Conclusions:
Based on the low report of vaccination, it could be concluded that the majority of Koreans were exposed to HBV and are at high risk to be infected by HBV. Therefore, providing vaccinations to KAs who are not positive for serum HBsAg is imperative.
See more of Poster Session #1
See more of The 2005 National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference