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Hepatitis B Awareness, Testing, and Knowledge among Vietnamese American Men and Women

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Abstract

Southeast Asians have higher rates of liver cancer than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Chronic carriage of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most common underlying cause of liver cancer in the majority of Asian populations. Our objectives were to describe Vietnamese Americans’ awareness of hepatitis B, levels of HBV testing, and knowledge about hepatitis B transmission; and to compare the HBV knowledge and practices of men and women. A community-based, in-person survey of Vietnamese men and women was conducted in Seattle during 2002. Seven hundred and fifteen individuals (345 men and 370 women) completed the questionnaire. Eighty-one percent of the respondents had heard of hepatitis B (76% of men, 86% of women) and 67% reported HBV testing (66% of men, 68% of women). A majority of the participants knew that HBV can be transmitted during sexual intercourse (71% of men, 68% of women), by sharing toothbrushes (67% of men, 77% of women), and by sharing razors (59% of men, 67% of women). Less than one-half knew that hepatitis B is not spread by eating food prepared by an infected person (46% of men, 27% of women), nor by coughing (39% of men, 25% of women). One-third of our respondents did not recall being tested for HBV. Important knowledge deficits about routes of hepatitis B transmission were identified. Continued efforts should be made to develop and implement hepatitis B educational campaigns for Vietnamese immigrant communities. These efforts might be tailored to male and female audiences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (M3-B232), P.O. Box 19024, Seattle, WA, 98109-1024

    Victoria M. Taylor MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Victoria M. Taylor MD, MPH
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  2. John H. Choe MD, MPH
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  3. Yutaka Yasui PhD
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  4. Lin Li MS
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  5. Nancy Burke PhD
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  6. J. Carey Jackson MD, MA, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victoria M. Taylor MD, MPH.

Additional information

Victoria M. Taylor is Full Member, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. John H. Choe is Acting Instructor, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Yutaka Yasui is Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. Lin Li is Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. Nancy Burke is Assistant Professor, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California; and J. Carey Jackson is Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

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Taylor, V.M., Choe, J.H., Yasui, Y. et al. Hepatitis B Awareness, Testing, and Knowledge among Vietnamese American Men and Women. J Community Health 30, 477–490 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-005-7282-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-005-7282-3

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