219718 Role of sociocultural factors in hepatitis b screening among Asian Americans

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Grace X. Ma, PhD , Department of Public Health, Center for Asian Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Jamil I. Toubbeh, PhD , Center for Asian Health, Department of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Sunmin Lee, ScD, MPH , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Min Qi Wang, PhD , Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Andy Liu, BA , Chinese American Business Corp., New York, NY
Background: HBV is the third most common cause of cancer death among Asians. Studies have revealed low screening rates amongst Asian Americans.

Objective: The purpose of this community based study was to validate a proposed Socio-cultural Health Behavior Model to determine the association of factors proposed in the model in relation to the health behavior related to HBV screening among Asian American men and women.

Methods: A cross-sectional design included a sample of 1,312 Asian men and women 18 years and older. The initial step involved use of confirmatory factor analysis which included the following variables: Access/satisfaction with health care, enabling, predisposing, cultural, and health belief factors. Multivariate analyses were conducted on factors for Hepatitis B screening.

Results: Correlates to positive HBV screening included demographics (ethnicity), cultural factors (living in the U.S. 15 years or more, speaking English well, fear of getting bad test result and shame), enabling factors (health insurance covering the screening, knowing where to get screening services), and family/social support factor (those who discussed getting HBV screening with family or friends, and who had a primary provider). Enabling factors (e.g. not having insurance, not having a regular physician, insurance not covering HBV screening cost) were more likely to lead to noncompliance.

Conclusions: The model highlights the significance that sociocultural factors play in relation to HBV screening and reinforces the need for HBV screening programs that could be more effective if they included these components and having sensitivity to ethnic and cultural factors among Asians.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. By the end of the session, participants will be able to understand the socio-cultural factors related to HBV screening for Asian Americans. 2. By the end of the session, participants will be able to apply results of this study to development of an intervention strategy that would improve the rate of screening for HBV in Asian Americans.

Keywords: Hepatitis B, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Principal Investigator of the study to be presented.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2050.0: Asian & Pacific Islander Disparities in Infectious/Communicable Disease