Suchergebnisse

Purpose. 3 For Life aims to increase hepatitis B virus (HBV) awareness and reduce the high prevalence of undiagnosed chronic HBV infection and susceptibility among Asian/Pacific Islander (API) adults. Design. This pilot program offered low-cost HBV vaccination with free HBV testing targeted primarily at foreign-born Chinese adults. Setting. Semimonthly screening and vaccination clinics were held in San Francisco, California, for 1 year. Subjects. A total of 1206 adults accessed the program. Intervention. Participants paid a discounted fee for a full vaccine series against HBV, hepatitis A virus (HAV), or both. Participants also provided blood samples for HBV serologic testing. Test results, recommendations, and appointment reminders were provided by mail. Measures. We compared the probability of completing a recommended vaccine series by HBV serologic status and sociodemographic characteristics. Analysis. Proportions were compared using multivariate logistic regression models. Results. Nine percent of adults were chronically infected with HBV, and 53% were unprotected. In the latter group, 85% completed the HBV vaccine series. The probability of completing a recommended hepatitis vaccine series was similar across most sociodemographic groups, with slightly higher completion rates among middle-aged and Chinese participants. Conclusions. Lessons learned from this pilot program have been used toward successful replication in other cities, demonstrating that 3 For Life is an accessible, affordable, reproducible, and sustainable model to increase HBV awareness, testing, and prevention among API adults.

Background. In the United States, more than 50% of the 1.2 million living with hepatitis B infection are Asian Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). In the city of San Francisco, Asian Americans make up 33% of the population and the city itself has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation (United States Census Bureau, 2010, California Cancer Registry, 2011). In 2007, to address the risk of hepatitis B and liver cancer, the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign (SFHBF) drew together a comprehensive coalition of key leaders and organizations from media, health care, government, community and business sectors within and beyond the Asian American community. Methods. Based on 13 key informant interviews with stakeholders, this paper explores how SFHBF incorporated local city hospitals as coalition partners to increase knowledge and screening of hepatitis B among Asian Americans throughout San Francisco. Results. Key findings include the various steps needed to involve hospitals including 1) Identify mission and key stakeholders, 2) Create collaborations among hospitals; 3) Identify benefits to hospitals. Implications. This research makes a unique contribution to the literature on engaging hospitals in community health partnerships. The findings have implications for other public health initiatives that are seeking to engage and involve hospitals as partners and collaborators.