The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41684

Gary L. Euler, DrPH, MPH, Mary H. Nguyen, MPH, Rebecca Oser, and Sabrina E. Walton, MSPH. National Immunization Program, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop E-62, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404.639.8742, gle0@cdc.gov

Hepatitis B vaccination of U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander (API) children was first suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1982. By 1994, <10% of more than two million American API children over 2 years of age had received hepatitis B vaccine (HepB), so CDC began a national catch-up campaign. Efforts included: multiple demonstration projects, local provider and parent surveys; local educational/vaccination campaigns; a large controlled intervention trial; enactment of school-entry and middle school laws in most states; strengthened and broadened national recommendations; and the federal Vaccines for Children program. Based on multiple local coverage surveys conducted between 1994 and 2002 we estimate that about 65% of the catch-up population has received HepB. The annual National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) provides the needed population-based nationwide assessment for a more accurate measure of progress. NHIS has asked about HepB histories in teenagers starting in 1997. Each year a random sample from the entire country of about 300 API American teenagers and their parents are included in NHIS. The CDC and Census Bureau conducted a validation study on the 1997 NHIS HepB data, by comparing parental reports of hepatitis B vaccination in their teenagers with provider records. The pending results of this study with the thereby adjusted 1997-2000 annual NHIS parent-reported data will be presented. In addition, pending base-line findings will be presented of an intervention project that conducted API teenager HepB coverage assessments in 32 of the largest Vietnamese doctor’s offices nationwide.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the need for a catch-up hepatitis B vaccination effort among Asian and Pacific Islander adolescent children in America,demographic characteristics of the target population, progress to date, and future needs.
• Articulate the importance of the NHIS database, the trends in hepatitis B vaccination coverage nationwide among the target population, and the current coverage level.
• Discuss the methods and important findings of the Vietnamese provider coverage assessments and intervention.

Keywords: Asian and Pacific Islander, Hepatitis B

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.