Abstract
Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
frequently causes liver disease, and early identification can improve
outcome. The burden of chronic HBV infection in many economically
developed nations lies in migrant populations. Targeted HBV testing of
migrants, and contact tracing for those diagnosed, are public health
objectives but uptake has been fragmentary. This qualitative study aimed
to investigate understanding of hepatitis B and response to testing and
contact tracing amongst people of Somali ethnicity living in Bristol,
UK.
Methods: The views of 30 people of Somali ethnicity living in Bristol were explored through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of audio-recorded interviews and focus groups were imported into NVivo10 and inductive thematic analysis undertaken.
Results: Most participants lacked awareness of hepatitis B, and often co-identified hepatitis B with ‘jaundice’. There were frequent misconceptions regarding transmission, natural history and diagnosis, with hepatitis B commonly viewed as a relatively trivial, short lived, symptomatic disease. Hepatitis B was generally not stigmatised. Lack of understanding of the disease was cited as the major barrier to targeted testing and contact tracing.
Conclusion: These findings suggest public health initiatives to promote hepatitis B testing and contact tracing within migrant Somali populations should focus on improving hepatitis B understanding, particularly its natural history and diagnosis, and avoid translation of ‘hepatitis B’ into terms meaning ‘jaundice’ to address misperception of low susceptibility and low severity.
Methods: The views of 30 people of Somali ethnicity living in Bristol were explored through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of audio-recorded interviews and focus groups were imported into NVivo10 and inductive thematic analysis undertaken.
Results: Most participants lacked awareness of hepatitis B, and often co-identified hepatitis B with ‘jaundice’. There were frequent misconceptions regarding transmission, natural history and diagnosis, with hepatitis B commonly viewed as a relatively trivial, short lived, symptomatic disease. Hepatitis B was generally not stigmatised. Lack of understanding of the disease was cited as the major barrier to targeted testing and contact tracing.
Conclusion: These findings suggest public health initiatives to promote hepatitis B testing and contact tracing within migrant Somali populations should focus on improving hepatitis B understanding, particularly its natural history and diagnosis, and avoid translation of ‘hepatitis B’ into terms meaning ‘jaundice’ to address misperception of low susceptibility and low severity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 389-395 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | European Journal of Public Health |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 15 Feb 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2016 |
Keywords
- hepatitis B
- screening
- contact
- Africa
- qualitative
- migrant
Access to Document
- Full-text PDF (accepted author manuscript)
This is the author accepted manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Oxford University Press at http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/3/389. Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.