Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Immunizations among Asian American College Students: Infection, Exposure, and Immunity Rates

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  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      8
    • Education Level:
      Higher Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Incidence; Diseases; Asian Americans; College Students; Immunization Programs; Student Attitudes; Knowledge Level; Health Education; Screening Tests; Ethnicity; Comparative Analysis; Birth
    • Subject Terms:
      Massachusetts
    • Accession Number:
      10.1080/07448481.2012.753891
    • ISSN:
      0744-8481
    • Abstract:
      Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, exposure, and immunity among Asian American college students as a basis for evaluating HBV screening and vaccination policy. Participants and Methods: Self-identified Asian American college students aged 18 years or older were examined. Serological tests of HBV surface antigens, antibodies to HBV core antigens (anti-HBc), and antibodies to HBV surface antigens (anti-HBs) were used to determine HBV infection and immunization prevalence. Results: Among US-born students ("n" = 66), none was infected with HBV, 68% ("n" = 45) had immunity from vaccination, and 1 student had evidence of past exposure to HBV. Among foreign-born students ("n" = 142), 4% ("n" = 5) had evidence of chronic HBV infection, 62% ("n" = 88) had immunity from vaccination, and 19% ("n" = 27) had results indicating past exposure to HBV. Asian American college students showed very little knowledge of HBV vaccination; 43% reported that they had received vaccination, whereas 50% did not know whether they had received it or not. Conclusions: The prevalence of current and past HBV infection among foreign-born Asian American college students is significantly higher ("p" less than 0.01), than US-born students. The lack of awareness of their HBV-infected status points out the importance of routine HBV screening of high-risk populations such as Asian students. (Contains 5 tables.)
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Number of References:
      47
    • Publication Date:
      2014
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1011984