Importance of community engagement in the movement to eliminate hepatitis B disparities

Background: The Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) was established to eliminate health disparities that exist between Asian Americans and their non-Asian counterparts in Montgomery County, Maryland. AAHI developed a strategic plan to guide the program's development for the next five years, focusing on five target areas: to enhance access to culturally and linguistically competent care, promote community mobilization and empowerment, strengthen partnerships and collaborations, enhance data collection and reporting, and establish organizational sustainability.

Objective: To outline the development of a community-driven hepatitis B project empowering Vietnamese Americans to take action on their own health priorities.

Methods: AAHI adopted a community-based participatory framework, emphasizing the valuable roles that communities play in defining and contributing to the health disparities movement. AAHI supported a local Vietnamese American community-based organization on a project to increase hepatitis B awareness and open the door to screening, treatment and vaccination options for the community. AAHI provided technical assistance and actively engaged members throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation processes.

Results: Despite high program satisfaction, there is limited knowledge of hepatitis B and unmet screening, vaccination and treatment needs for both uninsured and insured residents.

Discussion: A high level of sustained community participation provides meaningful information to develop programs that accurately reflect community priorities. AAHI not only maximized its capacity to provide services and resources, but empowered residents to take action on self-defined concerns. Through lessons learned, AAHI can further identify gaps and continue efforts to eliminate Asian American hepatitis B disparities.