Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107104

Aaron Strehlow, RN, PhD, UCLA School of Nursing Health Center at the Union Rescue Mission, 545 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013-2101, 213-673-4849, astrehlo@ucla.edu, Marjorie J. Robertson, PhD, Public Health Institute, Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Ave, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94709, Lillian Gelberg, MD, MSPH, Department of Family Medicine, UCLA, 50-071 UCLA, Center for Health Sciences, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, and Suzanne Zerger, MA, National Health Care for Homeless Council, 42 Marchmount Road, Toronto, ON M6G 2A9, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C is a growing public health concern in the United States, and is suspected to be much more prevalent among homeless adults than it is in the general population. Research has suggested this higher prevalence may be due to higher rates of injection drug use and risky sexual behaviors, and to more frequent contact with infected persons. Despite the suspected high risk, however, there is limited research on hepatitis C infection among homeless adults.

This epidemiological study contributes to existing research by: 1) Estimating the prevalence of lifetime hepatitis C infection among homeless adult patients, within selected subgroups, and by transmission categories. This will help determine which subgroups of HCH patients are at particularly high risk for hepatitis C, and will inform the efficacy of current screening practices; 2) Identifying factors that predict hepatitis C infection among homeless adult patients and estimate the effect of these factors in this population; 3) Assessing homeless adult patients' knowledge and attitudes regarding hepatitis C; and, 4) Describing health-service utilization specific to hepatitis C, including whether HCH patients have been tested for hepatitis c and whether hepatitis C-positive patients are aware of their infection status. METHODS: The study sample included four hundred randomly selected homeless patients seen by eight Health Care for the Homeless Program (HCH) clinics across the United States. Clinicians at these clinics completed blood draws and twenty minute interviews with patients consenting to participate in the study; they also completed a follow-up medical record review.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Document the prevalence of and risk factors for lifetime hepatitis C among homeless adults seen by the HCH program.
• 2. Identify high-risk groups that should be targeted for screening and subsequent treatment or prevention efforts.
• 3. Assess homeless-adult patients’ knowledge and attitudes regarding hepatitis C.

Keywords: Hepatitis C, Homeless

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation