Knowledge, Awareness, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Korean American Parents

Abstract

Hepatitis B (HB) affects 240 million people around the world, and children and young adults make up a large proportion of the infected population. Approximately 1 million people die from HB each year. Despite the seriousness of HB and its complications, many are poorly linked to clinical care. A lack of health literacy may be a critical barrier hindering access to HB care for adults as well as children in these populations. We, therefore, performed a survey to assess the level of knowledge of HB among Korean American parents. The survey was conducted on 521 Korean American adults who attended community-based HB awareness campaigns held at various locations throughout the metropolitan New York area between January 2015 and November 2016. Of these, 296 parents, who had children between ages 1 and 30, were identified. All participants were asked a series of questions regarding various aspects of HB and were evaluated on the basis of their awareness on each subject. A separate questionnaire was also employed to obtain demographic characteristics of the participants. The study revealed a significant deficit of knowledge of HB in most aspects the survey evaluated. Although the majority of the participants knew that HB is a liver disease, and many of them had been screened for HB, they had a poor understanding of vaccination, screening, their own HB status, modes of HBV transmission, and the consequences and treatment of HB. The participants also had a low level of awareness of their own children’s HB status. This study demonstrates a low level of knowledge of HB among Korean American parents electing to attend a hepatitis education program. In addition, many parents are not aware of their children’s screening and immune (or non-immune) status. The lack of health literacy may contribute to poor health access in HB care, not only in adults but also in children. This suggests an urgent need for education on HB in Korean American parents as well as in young children.

Awareness about Hepatitis B and/or C Viruses among Residents of Adama and Assela Cities. Oromia Regional State, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…Although the majority of the participants knew that HBV and/or HCV is a liver disease, and many of them had been screened for HB, they had a poor understanding of vaccination, screening, their own HBV and/or HCV status, modes of HBV and/or HCV transmission, and the consequences and treatment of HBV and/or HCV. The finding of this study were in line with other study done on "Knowledge, Awareness, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Korean American Parents" [10].…”

Hepatitis B knowledge among women and men in the upper west region of Ghana: What sources of health information matter?

“…Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most virulent and widespread in low‐income countries, with over 10% of the adult population in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), Asia, and the Pacific regions chronically infected 1 . Research shows that HBV prevalence in endemic contexts is worse for deprived and vulnerable populations such as rural residents, women, and children 2,3 . Consistent with this observation, it has been estimated that about 25% of hepatitis B (HB) infected people (257 million) live in SSA 4…”

“…Childhood transmission eventually progresses into chronic HBV, which accounts for over one million cases of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer in SSA and Asia 6 . However, adult infections show acute symptoms with the possibility of a cure 3,7 . In response to ending the endemicity of the virus and associated mortality, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 calls for immediate policy attention on all forms of infectious diseases, including viral hepatitis.…”

“…Over time, these educational programs may have contributed to increased awareness about HBV transmission. In addition, these organizations provide specialized health care services for at‐risk populations in HBV endemic regions such as the UWR of Ghana 3,27 . In addressing low levels of HB knowledge and awareness in this region, community‐based approaches have been emphasized.…”

Inhibitory effect of silibinin on hepatitis B virus entry

“…Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects humans acutely or chronically and is associated with severe diseases including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is estimated that 240 million people are chronically infected with HBV worldwide and that the chronic infection rate is almost 1% in Japan [1] . HBV infection is one of major health problems in the world because almost one million patients die due to HBV-associated HCC or liver cirrhosis every year [2] , [3] .…”