Increasing Hep B screening among Korean church attendees

University Of California At Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

In comparison to all other racial/ethnic groups in the United States, Asians experience the highest liver[unreadable] cancer incidence and mortality rates. About 80% of all liver cancers are etiologically related to chronic[unreadable] hepatitis B infection. Considering the rapidly growing Asian population in the United States, prevention and[unreadable] control of hepatitis B infection through screening and vaccination is a critical public health priority. Because[unreadable] hepatitis B is endemic in many Asian populations, it is typically recommended that adults be initially[unreadable] screened for hepatitis B in order to identify those who are chronic carriers so that they may be appropriately[unreadable] counseled and monitored, and refer only susceptible individuals for vaccination. Koreans have the highest[unreadable] liver cancer incidence and mortality rates in Los Angeles County, which is home to the largest concentration[unreadable] of Koreans in the entire United States. Yet, to date, no public health efforts have been directed at hepatitis B[unreadable] prevention and control among Korean adults.[unreadable] The proposed study (P01 Project #3) will address this gap by conducting a group randomized[unreadable] experiment to test the effectiveness of a small group intervention in increasing hepatitis B screening rates in[unreadable] a community sample of Korean adults in Los Angeles. The intervention will be culturally tailored and[unreadable] delivered through Korean Christian churches in Los Angeles. We will recruit and randomize 42 churches to[unreadable] an intervention or control group. Following an in-person baseline interview to assess knowledge, beliefs and[unreadable] behaviors, subjects drawn from intervention churches (N=425) will attend a "small-group discussion"[unreadable] focusing on hepatitis B and liver cancer control. Control group subjects (N=425) will attend a small group[unreadable] discussion focusing on general cancer prevention and control. Both groups will be re-contacted at 6-months,[unreadable] by telephone, to assess self-reported receipt of hepatitis B testing.[unreadable] The primary study hypothesis is that intervention group subjects will have significantly higher hepatitis B[unreadable] screening rates at follow-up compared to control group subjects. In addition, we predict that the intervention[unreadable] group will have higher knowledge levels at post-test compared to the control group; that knowledge will[unreadable] mediate the effects of the intervention on outcome; and that the intervention will have greater impact among[unreadable] more acculturated as compared to less acculturated subjects.[unreadable] Our research is important because we focus on a cancer that has received little attention from the[unreadable] research community and yet imposes a disproportionate disease burden on Asians. This project will also[unreadable] benefit immensely from being part of the overall program project, which will contribute additional[unreadable] multidisciplinary expertise and provide synergies not available to a stand-alone research endeavor.