Author information

1 Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.

2 Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program, Communicable Disease and Public Health Nursing Division, Hawai'i State Department of Health, Honolulu, HI, USA.

Abstract

Hawai'i has one of the highest rates of liver cancer in the United States. This is in large part due to undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B(CHB) infection among foreign-born Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs). In order to estimate the prevalence of CHB infection among foreign-born APIs in Hawai'i, the Hawai'i State Department of Health conducted a cross-sectional study from August 2013 through August 2015 of patients of a federally qualified health center serving the largest population of medically underserved APIs in the state. Among 1261 patients surveyed, the prevalence of CHB infection (based on HBsAg seropositivity) was 5.6% (71/1259). No significant differences were detected by place of birth, age, or gender; however, the adjusted prevalence ratio of CHB infection was 6.0 times higher among persons reporting household contact with hepatitis B virus compared with those without such contact. Our findings underscore the need for targeted screening of at-risk individuals and their household contacts.