1. Hepatitis B Knowledge and Information Among a Community Sample of Vietnamese Immigrants Living in Northern Virginia
Isha Weerasinghe, MSc
Isha.weerasinghe@nyumc.orghttp://bfree.med.nyu.edu

2. Presenter Disclosures
Isha Weerasinghe
(1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months:
No relationships to disclose
3. B Free CEED
Mission: To serve as a national resource and expert center on the elimination of hepatitis B health disparities among Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (APIs), with the goal to develop, evaluate and disseminate multi-level, evidence-based best practices and activities.
B Free CEED is a coalition of local and national partners. Every activity is guided by CBPR.
4. Boat People SOS
Mission: To assist Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in their search for a life in liberty and dignity; by empowering, equipping and organizing Vietnamese American communities in their progress toward self-sufficiency.
5. Study Development
Issue
Process
Conveying awareness messages to a hard to reach population
Conduct a needs assessment of the Vietnamese community
Develop more effective outreach strategies and messages by conducting a social marketing campaign
Study Objective: To assess the level of HBV knowledge and awareness in the Vietnamese population in Northern Virginia to inform an educational campaign.
6. Hepatitis B and APIs
The Asian & Pacific Islander (API) American population carries a disproportionate burden of hepatitis B (HBV) in the U.S.

One in 10 Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are estimated to have a chronic HBV infection.

7. Multiple studies conducted in certain API groups indicate that they have limited knowledge about HBV and HBV screening. 8. The Vietnamese population has the highest incidence of liver cancer among all Asian subgroups. 9. Vietnamese-American men are over 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer than their White counterparts. This health disparity is attributable to high rates of hepatitis B infection.