Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 18, Issue 6, 2016, Pages 1257-1265

Awareness of Hepatitis C Virus Seropositivity and Chronic Infection in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) (Article)

Kuniholm M.H.* , Jung M. , Del Amo J. , Talavera G.A. , Thyagarajan B. , Hershow R.C. , Damas O.M. , Kaplan R.C.
  • a Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Belfer Building, Room 1308, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
  • b Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Belfer Building, Room 1308, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
  • c National Centre of Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
  • d Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
  • e Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • f Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, United States
  • g Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
  • h Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Belfer Building, Room 1308, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, United States

Abstract

Few population-based studies have assessed awareness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) seropositivity and chronic infection. We report awareness of HCV seropositivity and chronic infection and correlates of awareness in a multi-city (Bronx, Miami, Chicago, and San Diego) community-dwelling population sample of United States (US) Hispanics/Latinos recruited during 2008–2011. Included were 260 HCV-seropositive participants, among whom 190 had chronic HCV. Among those with chronic HCV, 46 % had been told by a doctor that they had liver disease and 32 % had been told that they had HCV-related liver disease. Among those with chronic HCV who also lacked health insurance (37 % of those with chronic HCV), only 8 % had been told that they had HCV-related liver disease. As compared with the uninsured, those with insurance were over five times more likely to be aware of having HCV-related liver disease (44 %). Sex, age, education, city of residence, and birthplace were not associated with HCV awareness. Less than half of Hispanics/Latinos were aware of their HCV chronic infection. Lack of health insurance may be an important barrier to HCV awareness in this population. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Hispanic Latino Awareness Hepatitis C virus United States

Index Keywords

medically uninsured human middle aged statistics and numerical data chronic hepatitis C Hepatitis C, Chronic Aged ethnology Hispanic Americans United States Young Adult Humans Hispanic Adolescent male female Socioeconomic Factors risk factor Risk Factors socioeconomics awareness adult public health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84957694138&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-016-0350-1&partnerID=40&md5=feaeb3140e0401c1b38a236f2fb08dae
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-016-0350-1
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English