Abstract
BackgroundLiver cancer is the second most-frequent cause of cancer death in Korea. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver cancer, and this disease is effectively prevented by HBV vaccination. This study was conducted to investigate factors associated with the lack of HBV vaccine uptake in the general adult male population in Korea.MethodsData of men who participated in a nationwide cross-sectional interview survey were analyzed. A total of 2,174 men 40 years of age and older were interviewed between 2006 and 2008. None of the participants was infected with HBV or was experiencing sequelae of an HBV infection.ResultsOnly half (50.4%) of the men received one or more dose of the three-dose series of HBV vaccinations, and 32.5% received all three doses. Compared with men who had completed the vaccination regimen, non-vaccinated men were more likely to lack supplemental medical insurance for cancer (odds ratio = 0.66, 95% confidence interval: 0.52–0.84), have lower incomes (p-trend = 0.010), and be less educated (p-trend = 0.021). Lower education was also more prevalent in the non-vaccinated group compared with the incompletely vaccinated group. Those who had completed the vaccination regimen were likely to be more educated than those in the incompletely vaccinated group (p-trend = 0.044). The most commonly cited reason for not obtaining the HBV vaccine was lack of knowledge regarding the need for the vaccination. The number of men who cited this reason decreased as a function of education.ConclusionsIt is important to develop strategic interventions targeted at less-educated men to increase uptake of a complete three-dose series of HBV vaccinations as a primary approach to preventing liver cancer.
Highlights
Liver cancer is the second most-frequent cause of cancer death in Korea
Vertical transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the main source of infection [8], horizontal transmission is important in HBV-endemic areas [9]
Our study revealed that the most common reason for not being vaccinated was lack of fundamental knowledge regarding the necessity of HBV vaccination, which was cited by 40% of non-vaccinated participants
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver cancer, and this disease is effectively prevented by HBV vaccination. To reduce the disease burden of HBV infection, a catch-up vaccination program for adults was conducted in Korea. The first catch-up program, implemented in 1985, targeted government employees, teachers, and their dependents It was followed by the mass HBV vaccination campaign, conducted by the Korean government in 1988, targeting school-aged children and adolescents. In Korea, HBV transmission occurs commonly in adulthood, which could be prevented by HBV vaccination This includes the spread of infection through sexual contact, non-sexual transmission among family members in the same household, direct contact during adulthood, and occupational/health-care related sources [8,10,11]. Catch-up vaccination of adults is critical for the control of HBV infection and subsequent liver cancer [8,10]
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