Socioeconomic differences in self- and family awareness of viral hepatitis status among carriers of hepatitis B or C in rural Korea

American Journal of Infection Control
Hye-Ran AhnSun-Seog Kweon

Abstract

Hepatitis is the most important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea. This study evaluated the socioeconomic differences in self- and family awareness of hepatitis status among hepatitis B and C carriers and their cohabitants in rural Korea. In total, 5,017 randomly selected rural residents participated in a seroepidemiologic and questionnaire survey. We found 326 hepatitis B surface antigen carriers or hepatitis C antibody carriers and 310 family members cohabiting with members of this group. Among the hepatitis B carriers and their family members, 48.1% were aware of their own status and 36.7% were aware of their cohabitant's hepatitis status, respectively. Only 28.1% of the hepatitis C carriers were aware of their own status, and only 23.3% of their cohabiting family members knew about their family member's hepatitis C status. A multivariate analysis including health-related factors, such as alcohol consumption, family history of liver disease, and recent acupuncture history, found that self-awareness was significantly lower in the older group and significantly higher in the more educated and higher-income groups. Family awareness was also increased in those working in salaried jobs. Socioeconomic disparities in awaren...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 17, 2020·Current Medical Research and Opinion·Do Young KimHyung Joon Kim
Aug 14, 2019·International Journal of Nursing Studies·Ling-Na KongYi-Lan Li

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