Asian Nursing Research
Volume 1, Issue 3 , Pages 165-175, December 2007

Differences in Knowledge of Hepatitis B Among Korean Immigrants in Two Cities in the Rocky Mountain Region

  • Hae-Ok Lee, RN, DNSc

      Affiliations

    • Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, Denver, Colorado, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Hae-Ok Lee, RN, DNSc, Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, 4200 East Ninth Avenue Box-C288, Denver, CO 80262, USA
    • ,
  • Ok-Ja Lee, RN, DNSc

      Affiliations

    • Associate Professor, Director of Nursing, Department of Nursing Science, Konyang University Medical School, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Susie Kim, RN, DNSc, FAAN

      Affiliations

    • Professor/President, Seoul Cyber University, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Ivy Hontz, MA

      Affiliations

    • Program Manager, Asian Pacific Development Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA
    • ,
  • Amy Warner, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Manager of Infection Department, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA

Article Outline

Purpose

To assess knowledge and attitude toward hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among Korean immigrants in two cities in the Rocky Mountain region and to determine whether sociodemographic and cultural factors are related to the level of HBV knowledge.

Methods

Community-based participatory study was conducted in five Korean churches in the Rocky Mountain region to develop baseline data on HBV infection and vaccination behavior. All documents, including announcements, brochures, consent forms, and questionnaires were in Korean and English, and trained Korean interviewers collected the surveys by reviewing the questionnaires with participants at the churches.

Results

Knowledge of HBV infection was low and city of residence did not have a statistically significant impact on HBV infection knowledge. In the total sample, 62% identified transmission by sharing utensils and 21% believed that HBV was hereditary, while only 21% thought that HBV was spread through sexual contact. The majority of participants (61%) rated their English level as “minimum”. Knowledge of HBV infection was found to be associated with both demographic and acculturation factors (p < .05).

Conclusion

This study found not only a low level of knowledge of HBV infection but also misunderstanding of the risks of HBV infection. Knowledge of HBV infection was significantly associated with education and acculturation; therefore, culturally sensitive and group-tailored public health education for Korean and other Asian American Pacific Islanders should be developed to clarify misconceptions and misunderstandings about HBV infection.

Key Words:  Asian Americans , hepatitis B infection , knowledge , vaccination

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PII: S1976-1317(08)60019-5

doi:10.1016/S1976-1317(08)60019-5

Asian Nursing Research
Volume 1, Issue 3 , Pages 165-175, December 2007

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