Abstract PR-7: A church-based hepatitis B intervention for Korean Americans

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Despite the proven efficacy of hepatitis B screening and vaccination in preventing hepatitis B infection, most Korean Americans are neither screened nor vaccinated. Hepatitis B-related liver cancer incidence in Korean Americans is considerably higher than that of other ethnic groups in the U.S. About 80% of Korean Americans are active church members, which is an important venue for health education and intervention programs. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches can stimulate partnership development and community engagement especially among hard-to-reach Asian American communities. The purpose of this study was to design and pilot test a culturally appropriate hepatitis B screening and vaccination program for Korean Americans using CBPR approaches. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with intervention and control groups was used in the study. Participants (n=330), age 18 and over, were recruited from four Korean churches (two for intervention and two for control group. The intervention group received bilingual community health educator-led hepatitis B education and patient navigation. The control group received general health education. Assessments were obtained at baseline, post-education, and 6-month follow up. Primary outcome measures were hepatitis B screening and vaccination behavior change. Results: Participants of intervention group reported significantly higher hepatitis B screening and vaccine. The data of intervention group also suggested significant improvement in knowledge of hepatitis B and measures of Health Belief Model. Conclusions/Discussion: This study suggested that use CBPR principles to engage churches/pastors and cultural appropriate intervention can be an effective approach to address hepatitis B disparities in Korean Americans. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):PR-7.