141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

290548
Tattoo parties: Self reported HCV risk factors among members of a Philadelphia neighborhood

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 4:30 PM - 4:50 PM

Stacey Trooskin, MD, PhD , Infectious Diseases, Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Sophie Feller, B.A. , Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Kathleen Kozeniewski, MSW, LCSW , The Health Annex, Philadelphia, PA
Annajane Yolken , Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
Julia Harvey , Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
Najia Luqman, MPH , Bebashi and Do One Thing, Philadelphia, PA
Danielle Parks, MPH , Drexel University School of Medicine and Do One Thing, Philadelphia, PA
LaDonna Smith , Do One Thing, Providence, RI
Ta-Wanda Preston , Do One Thing, Providence, RI
Gladys Thomas, MSW, MBA , The Miriam Hospital and Do One Thing, Providence, RI
Sharon Parker, PhD MSW MS , Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
Amy Nunn, ScD , Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, however, 50% to 75% of individuals with chronic HCV are unaware of their infection. This low rate of awareness has been largely attributed to the failure of risk based screening. In an effort to increase rates of HCV testing, the CDC has recently recommended birth cohort based screening in addition to risk based screening.

Methods: We assessed all HCV risk factors through a community based outreach program called the “Do One Thing Campaign” in Southwest Philadelphia. We focused our outreach in zip code 19143, a community with a high prevalence of HCV and HIV.

Results: Of the 543 individuals enrolled the first nine months of the program, 7% percent reported past or current injection drug use, while 4% reported having received a blood transfusion before 1992. Fifty-one percent reported having a tattoo, 26% of who received a tattoo at a tattoo party. Sixty percent of those receiving tattoos at parties were between the ages of 15-39.

Conclusions: Tattoo parties represent an unregulated environment with the potential for disease transmission if supplies are shared. The CDC has identified tattooing as a “potential” risk factor for HCV transmission but has not formally included it in its risk based screening guidelines. The high prevalence of unregulated tattooing among individuals outside of the 1945 to 1965 birth cohort requires that further investigation is conducted to determine the seroprevalence of HCV among this group.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Describe HCV risk factors among community members living in high prevalence neighborhoods. Identify tattoo parties as a potential source of HCV transmission among individuals not currently being captured by existing HCV screening guidelines.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Community-Based Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an infectious diseases physician at Drexel University College of Medicine and I earned a PhD in Epidemiology. I am a community activist and organizer with a focus on HCV and access to care. My role as co-investigator on the Do One Thing campaign has enabled me to continue to develop a training curriculum around HCV testing and counseling in community settings and to implement a linkage to care protocol for HCV positive clients.
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.