Abstract
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) account for over half of the 1.3 million chronic hepatitis B cases and for over half of the deaths resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection in United States. There are very few studies published about hepatitis B virus (HBV) data in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. In 2003, the Hepatitis B Initiative-DC (HBI-DC) worked closely with a large Korean church, located in Vienna, Virginia. Their partnership included a pilot-test of a faith-based HBV program, which educates, screens and vaccinates for the HBV. This pilot program was later expanded to include a total of nine Korean and Chinese American churches in this region, plus a Pastor’s Conference targeting Asian American pastors from around the United States. During 2003–2006, a total of 1,775 persons were tested for HBV infection through the HBI-DC program. Of all the participants, 2% (n = 35) were tested HBV positive (HbsAg+, HbsAb−), 37% (n = 651) were HBV negative but protected (HbsAg−, HbsAb+), and 61% (n = 1089) were unprotected (HbsAg−, HbsAb−). Most of these unprotected individuals (n = 924) received the first vaccination. The proportion of the second vaccination was 88.8% (n = 824). About 79% completed 3-shot vaccine series. Our study contributes to the literature by providing an overview of the hepatitis B unprotected rate among Asian American adults. It indicates that culturally integrated liver cancer prevention program will reduce cancer health disparities in high risk immigrant populations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asian Liver Center. Hepatitis B in Asian American statistics. http://livercancer.stanford.edu/Edu/Edu_Stat.php. Accessed May 2007.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2002). Healthy people 2010: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives (DHHS publication no., PHS 91-50212). Washington, DC: US Public Health Service.
U.S. Census Bureau. The American Community-Asians: 2004. http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/acs-05.pdf. Accessed May 2007.
Shepard, C. W., Finelli, L., Fiore, A. E., & Bell, B. P. (2005). Epidemiology of hepatitis B and hepatitis B virus infection in United States children. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 24, 755–760.
Choe, J. H., Chan, N., Do, H. H., Woodall, E., Lim, E., & Taylor, V. M. (2005). Hepatitis B and liver cancer beliefs among Korean immigrants in western Washington. Cancer, 104, 2955–2958.
Taylor, V. M., Yasui, Y., Burke, N., Nguyen, T., Chen, A., Acorda, E., et al. (2004). Hepatitis B testing among Vietnamese American men. Cancer Detection and Prevention, 28, 170–177.
Taylor, V. M., Choe, J. H., Yasui, Y., Li, L., Burke, N., & Jackson, J. C. (2005). Hepatitis B awareness, testing, and knowledge among Vietnamese American men and women. Journal of Community Health, 30, 477–490.
Thompson, M. J., Taylor, V. M., Yasui, Y., Hislop, T. G., Jackson, J. C., Kuniyuki, A., et al. (2003). Hepatitis B knowledge and practices among Chinese Canadian women in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 94, 281–286.
Centers for Disease Control, Prevention (CDC). (2006). Screening for chronic hepatitis B among Asian/Pacific Islander populations—New York City, 2005. MMWR, 55, 505–509.
Lee, H., Hontz, I., Warner, A., & Park S. J. (2005). Hepatitis B infection among Asian American/Pacific Islanders in the Rocky Mountain area. Applied Nursing Research, 18, 2–6.
Ma, G. X., Shive, S. E., Fang, C. Y., Feng, Z., Parameswaran, L., Pham, A., et al. (2007). Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of hepatitis B screening and vaccination and liver cancer risks among Vietnamese Americans. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 18, 62–73.
Choe, J. H., Taylor, V. M., Yasui, Y., Burke, N., Nguyen, T., Acorda, E., et al. (2006). Health care access and sociodemographic factors associated with hepatitis B testing in Vietnamese American men. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 8, 193–201.
Taylor, V. M., Jackson, J. C., Chan, N., Kuniyuki, A., & Yasui Y. (2002). Hepatitis B knowledge and practices among Cambodian American women in Seattle, Washington. Journal of Community Health, 27, 151–163.
Taylor, V. M., Tu, S. P., Woodall, E., Acorda, E., Chen, H., Choe, J., et al. (2006). Hepatitis B knowledge and practices among Chinese immigrants to the United States. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 7, 313–317.
U.S. Census Bureau. Facts for features. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2004. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/polpulation/001720.html. Accessed May 2007.
Hsu, L. D., DeJong, W., Hsia, R., Chang, M., Ryou, M., & Yeh, E. (2003). Student leadership in public health advocacy: Lessons learned from the Hepatitis B Initiative. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1250–1252.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1998). Asian American and Pacific Islanders: Executive overview. The Office of Minority Health Resource Center. http://www.omhrc.gov/pverview2.htm. Accessed Feb 1999.
Lai E., & Arguelles, D. (2003). The new face of Asian Pacific America: Numbers, diversity, & change in the 21st century. San Francisco, Los Angeles: Asian Week and UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center.
Hurh, M. H., & Kim, K. C. (1984). Korean immigrants in America: A structural analysis of ethnic confinement and adhesive adaptation. Canbury: Associate University Press.
Juon, H. S., Choi, Y., & Kim, M. T. (2000). Cancer screening behaviors among Korean American women. Cancer Detection and Prevention, 24, 589–601.
Rudd, R. E., & Comings, J. P. (1994). Learner developed materials: An empowering product. Health Education Quarterly, 21, 313–327.
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. Eliminating hepatitis: A call to action, April 2006. http://www.nvhr.org/calltoaction.htm. Accessed Aug 2007.
McPhee, S. J., Nguyen, T., Euler, G. L., Mock, J., Wong, C., Lam, T., et al. (2003). Successful promotion of hepatitis B vaccinations among Vietnamese-American children ages 3 to 18: Results of a controlled trial. Pediatrics, 111, 1278–1288.
Chen, A. L., Kuss, T. T., McKeirnan, S., & Gleason, C. J. (2001). Developing partnerships in Washington state to prevent hepatitis B virus infection in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian American and Pacific Islanders Journal of Health, 9, 195–204.
Coronado, G. D., Taylor, V., Acorda, E., Hoai Do, H., & Thompson, B. (2005). Development of English as a second language curriculum for hepatitis B virus testing in Chinese Americans. Cancer, 104, 2948–2951.
Chen, H., Tu, S. P., Teh, C. Z., Yip, M. P., Choe, J. H., Hislop, T. G., et al. (2006). Lay beliefs about hepatitis among north American Chinese: Implications for hepatitis prevention. Journal of Community Health, 31, 94–112.
Burke, N. J., Jackson, J. C., Thai, H. C., Stackhouse, F., Nguyen, T., Chen, A., et al. (2004). Honoring tradition, accepting new ways’: Development of a hepatitis B control intervention for Vietnamese immigrants. Ethnicity & Health, 9, 153–169.
Jenkins, C. N., McPhee, S. J., Nguyen, T., & Wong, C. (1998). Promoting hepatitis B catch-up immunizations among Vietnamese-American children: A controlled trial of two strategies. Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health, 6, 216–218.
Jenkins, C. N., McPhee, S. J., Wong, C., Nguyen, T., & Euler, G. L. (2000). Hepatitis B immunization coverage among Vietnamese-American children 3 to 18 years old. Pediatrics, 106, E78.
Kim, Y. O. (2004). Access to hepatitis B vaccination among Korean American children in immigrant families. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 15, 170–182.
Marx, G., Martin, S. R., Chicoine, J. F., & Alvarez, F. (2002). Long-term follow-up of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in children of different ethnic origins. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 186, 295–301.
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Hepatitis Foundation International, Gilead Sciences, Inova Health System Foundation, Inova’s Congregational Health Partnership, and the Inova Reference Laboratory, Merck, Inc., and GlaxoSmithKline. For their support and cooperation in this project, we thank pastors, leaders and volunteers from the churches: Chinese Christian Church of Virginia, Christ Central Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, HOPE Chapel, Korean Central Presbyterian Church, McLean Korean Presbyterian Church, Open Door Presbyterian Church, Pilgrim Korean Community Baptist Church, and Seoul Presbyterian Church. We would like to thank Sun Hi Kim, Ed Hsu, Mark Kim, Ken Paik, Peter Shin, Pastor Hank Hahm, Steve Yang, and Christina Yang for their support in helping to complete this project. We also wish to thank all the members of the HBI-DC Board for their support and cooperation. For more information about HBI programs, please visit www.hepbinitiative.org.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Juon, HS., Strong, C., Oh, T.H. et al. Public Health Model for Prevention of Liver Cancer Among Asian Americans. J Community Health 33, 199–205 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9091-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9091-y