Copyright
©The Author(s) 2017.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2017; 23(42): 7626-7634
Published online Nov 14, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i42.7626
Published online Nov 14, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i42.7626
Table 1 Demographics of the study population
Characteristics | n (%) or mean ± SD |
Age (yr) | 47 (18) |
19-30 | 20 (22) |
31-40 | 16 (18) |
41-50 | 17 (19) |
51-60 | 15 (17) |
> 60 | 22 (24) |
Gender | |
F | 62 (70) |
M | 26 (30) |
Years in the United States | 13 (12) |
0-5 | 24 (28) |
6-10 | 14 (16) |
11-15 | 12 (14) |
16-20 | 21 (24) |
> 20 | 16 (18) |
Country of origin | |
Somalia | 44 (44) |
Morocco | 10 (10) |
Cameroon | 8 (8) |
Others1 | 39 (39) |
Table 2 Perceived hepatitis b risk before and after teaching session n (%)
Perceived at least some risk of being HBV infected | Pre session(n = 101) | Post session(n = 56) | P value |
Mean | 1.34 | 3.26 | < 0.001 |
At least some risk | 11 (11) | 35 (70) | |
Gender | |||
Female | 7 (12) | 24 (71) | |
Male | 3 (12) | 5 (63) | |
Age (yr) | |||
< 45 | 2 (5) | 23 (70) | |
> 45 | 8 (18) | 9 (75) | |
Years in the United States | |||
< 5 | 2 (9) | 11 (79) | |
> 5 | 9 (13) | 19 (63) | |
Continent of Origin1 | |||
Africa | 11 (16) | 19 (73) | |
Asia | 0 | 6 (67) | |
Europe | 0 | 4 (57) | |
America | 0 | 1 (50) | |
Reasons why your risk is high | |||
Country of origin | 30 (40) | 22 (44) | |
Needle exposure | 15 (20) | 9 (18) | |
Sexual exposure | 14 (19) | 9 (18) | |
I don’t know | 11 (15) | 9 (18) | |
I am not at risk | 15 (20) | 6 (12) | |
Other reasons2 | 8 (10) | 9 (18) | |
Mother to child transmission | 0 | 1 (0.02) |
Table 3 Responses to additional open ended questions n (%)
Variable | Pre | Post |
Why is it important to test those at risk for HBV? | ||
Prevent the spread of infection | 21 (24) | 8 (16) |
Initiate the treatment early | 14 (16) | 10 (20) |
To be aware of our status | 12 (14) | 8 (16) |
Prevent long term complications | 9 (10) | 8 (16) |
Because no symptoms are present until late stage | 2 (2) | |
I don’t know | 27 (31) | 11 (22) |
To vaccinate those unaffected | 2 (4) | |
2 of the above | 2 (2) | 2 (4) |
Why you do not think it is important to test | ||
It is important | 36 (73) | 22 (81) |
It is not important | 3 (6) | 1 (3) |
I don’t know | 6 (12) | 2 (7) |
Because it is not very common | 1 (2) | |
I don’t have enough information to recommend the test | 2 (4) | |
Patient has the right to decide if he wants it | 1 (2) | 1 (3) |
Because everybody has Hepatitis B | 1 (3) | |
Barriers of access to medical care | ||
Insurance coverage | 18 (31) | 17 (40) |
It is easy for me | 28 (48) | 16 (38) |
I don't know | 3 (5) | 2 (5) |
Absence of good doctors | 1 (2) | |
Lack of available doctors | 2 (3) | 1 (2) |
Lack of time | 2 (3) | |
Language barrier | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
Others reasons | 2 (3) | 3 (7) |
2 factors above | 1 (2) | 2 (5) |
Uncomfortable asking for Hepatitis B testing | ||
I don’t find it uncomfortable | 45 (90) | 26 (76) |
I am afraid of the result/consequences of the infection | 2 (4) | 2 (6) |
Shyness/fear of what he might think | 2 (4) | 2 (6) |
Because it is sexually transmitted | 1 (2) | |
Because I feel well | 1 (3) | |
Because it is taboo | 3 (9) | |
Why it will be difficult to get tested for HBV | ||
It would not be difficult for me | 38 (64) | 24 (61) |
Insurance coverage | 6 (10) | 5 (13) |
Fear of the results | 4 (7) | 5 (13) |
I don't know | 5 (8) | 1 (2.5) |
Cost of the test | 4 (7) | 1 (2.5) |
Concerns about confidentiality | 2 (3) | 1 (2.5) |
Lack of time | 1 (2.5) | |
2 or 3 factors above | 2 (3) | 1 (2.5) |
Why it could be difficult to get treated for HBV | ||
It would not be difficult for me | 37 (65) | 19 (59) |
Insurance coverage | 7 (12) | 2 (7) |
Cost of treatment | 4 (7) | 3 (9) |
Treatment side effects | 2 (3.5) | |
I don't know | 3 ( (5)) | |
Lifelong treatment | 2 (7) | |
Lack of treatment providers | 1 (2) | |
Other reasons | 1 (2) | |
2 0r 3 factors above | 2 (3.5) | 6 (19) |
Table 4 True or false questions prior to (Pre) and following (Post) the teaching session n (%)
Variable | Pre Correct | Post correct | P value1 |
Mean of total correct answers (Std.dev) (mean ± SD) | 5.5 ± 3.3 | 7.6 ± 2.9 | < 0.001 |
1 Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the kidneys | 43(43) | 35 (63) | 0.02 |
2 Hepatitis A turns into Hepatitis B, which then turns into Hepatitis C | 60 (59) | 49 (88) | < 0.0001 |
3 Hepatitis B is the most common liver infection in the world | 58 (57) | 50 (89) | < 0.0001 |
4 You can get hepatitis B from touching, sharing food utensils, or drinking too much alcohol | 56 (55) | 47 (84) | < 0.0001 |
5 The only way to get hepatitis B is through sexual contact | 44 (45) | 34 (61) | 0.04 |
6 The test for hepatitis B involves taking a small sample of blood | 67 (66) | 47 (84) | 0.02 |
7 If you have Hep B but no symptoms, no need to worry about your liver | 54 (53) | 43 (77) | 0.006 |
8 Hepatitis B infection can cause scarring of the liver and liver cancer | 59 (58) | 44 (79) | 0.01 |
9 There is no treatment for hepatitis B | 50 (50) | 37 (66) | 0.06 |
10 If you do not have hepatitis B, there is a vaccine that can prevent it | 65 (64) | 42 (75) | 0.20 |
- Citation: Djoufack R, Cheon SSY, Mohamed A, Faye F, Diouf K, Colvin R, Morrill J, Duffy-Keane AM, Perumalswami P, Jourdain G, Fusco D. Hepatitis B virus outreach to immigrant population in Greater Boston Area: Key to improving hepatitis B knowledge. World J Gastroenterol 2017; 23(42): 7626-7634
- URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v23/i42/7626.htm
- DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v23.i42.7626