Using Survey Results Regarding Hepatitis B Knowledge, Community Awareness and Testing Behavior Among Asians to Improve the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign

Abstract

Asians are disproportionately affected by chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection and its fatal consequences. The Hep B Free campaign was launched to eliminate HBV in San Francisco by increasing awareness, testing, vaccination and linkage to care. The campaign conducted 306 street intercept and telephone interviews of San Francisco Asians to assess current levels of HBV knowledge, testing behaviors and effectiveness of existing campaign media materials. One-third of respondents ranked HBV as a key health issue in the Asian community, second to diabetes. General HBV awareness is high (85%); however, a majority could not name an effective prevention method. Sixty percent reported having been tested for HBV; provider recommendation was the most often cited reason for testing. Respondents reported a high level of trust in their providers to correctly assess which health issues they may be at risk for developing and test accordingly, confirming that efforts to increase HBV testing among Asians must simultaneously mobilize the public to request testing and compel providers to test high-risk patients. Regarding community awareness, more than half reported hearing more about HBV recently; younger respondents were more likely to have encountered campaign materials and recall correct HBV facts. Assessment of specific campaign materials found that while upbeat images and taglines captured attention and destigmatized HBV, messages that emphasize the pervasiveness and deadly consequence of infection were more likely to drive respondents to seek education and testing. The campaign used survey results to focus efforts on more intensive provider outreach and to create messages for a new public outreach media campaign.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices among people with chronic hepatitis B attending a hepatology clinic in Malaysia: A cross sectional study

“…This misperception is also reported in Asian HBV patients [18,19,21] and general public in Singapore, San Francisco, Washington and Australia [23-25]. Such misperceptions could evoke anxiety in individuals with HBV and may create a barrier in their social interaction for fear of transmitting the virus to others.…”

Hepatitis B Management in Vulnerable Populations: Gaps in Disease Monitoring and Opportunities for Improved Care

“…First, the San Francisco Bay Area has a high density of Asian immigrants with a reported HBV prevalence of 9–15% (4, 38, 39), and as such, providers may have increased familiarity with HBV management in this population. Additionally, a large grassroots campaign aimed at improving HBV awareness in the Asian American community has been ongoing in this region and an analysis of the impact of San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign found that a high proportion of Asian respondents were familiar with hepatitis B (90%) and that almost half reported an increase in hepatitis B awareness within their community (40). These factors are likely to have played a role in the higher rates of HBV disease monitoring among Asian American patients in this study.…”

Disease and Treatment Perceptions Among Asian Americans Diagnosed with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

“…Several studies have indicated that lack of knowledge about HBV transmission and its consequences leads to low levels of vaccination and screening. A number of initiatives have been implemented to raise the uptake of vaccination and screening in the Asian American population, with some success 11 – 14. To our knowledge, no studies have specifically evaluated the level of awareness among Asian American individuals of current potent antiviral therapies available for the treatment of CHB.…”