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Morrill KE, Crocker RM, Hingle MD, Thomson CA, Garcia DO. Awareness, Knowledge, and Misperceptions Related to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Community Sample of Mexican-Origin Women: A Mixed Methods Study. Front Public Health 2021; 9:626428. [PMID: 34485209 PMCID: PMC8415027 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.626428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Mexican-origin women suffer disproportionate rates of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and research on how to tailor NAFLD treatment interventions for this population is lacking. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess awareness, knowledge, perceptions, and information sources related to NAFLD in a community-based sample of Mexican-origin women. Methods: This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach and consisted of a brief questionnaire (n = 194) and interviews (n = 26) among Mexican-origin women recruited from community-based settings including health fairs, churches, and community events. Participants were eligible if they identified as Mexican-origin, had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, were 18-64 years of age, had the ability to speak, read, and write in English and/or Spanish, and provided informed consent. A purposeful sampling approach was used to recruit a subset of women (n = 26) with confirmed liver steatosis indicative of NAFLD (controlled attenuation parameter ≥280 dB/m) who completed the questionnaire. The twenty-six participants then completed one on one, in-depth semi-structured interviews to ascertain their knowledge and understanding of NAFLD. Results: Qualitative findings revealed low awareness of risk factors for liver disease, NAFLD specifically. Knowledge of liver disease tended to center around cirrhosis, a condition many participants reported was prevalent in their families. Quantitative and qualitative findings both found information sources for NAFLD and liver disease to be predominantly friends, family, and media. Interviews revealed a misperception related to NAFLD risk that liver disease was only caused by high alcohol intake. Conclusion: Low levels of NAFLD awareness and knowledge warrant the need for greater efforts to educate the general population, perhaps by integrating NAFLD education into existing type 2 diabetes educational campaigns and prevention interventions. Additionally, further elicitation research conducted in Mexican-origin adults is needed to elucidate key factors within behavioral-theory constructs that can be targeted in future interventions tailored to this unique population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin E Morrill
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Rebecca M Crocker
- Center for Border Health Disparities, Health Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Melanie D Hingle
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Cynthia A Thomson
- Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - David O Garcia
- Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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Flores YN, Zhang ZF, Bastani R, Leng M, Crespi CM, Ramírez-Palacios P, Stevens H, Salmerón J. Risk factors for liver disease among adults of Mexican descent in the United States and Mexico. World J Gastroenterol 2018; 24:4281-4290. [PMID: 30310261 PMCID: PMC6175761 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i37.4281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To compare the prevalence of chronic liver disease (CLD) risk factors in a representative sample of Mexican-Americans born in the United States (US) or Mexico, to a sample of adults in Mexico.
METHODS Data for Mexican-Americans in the US were obtained from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which includes persons of Mexican origin living in the US (n = 4274). The NHANES sample was restricted to Mexican-American participants who were 20 years and older, born in the US or Mexico, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and with medical insurance. The data in Mexico were obtained from the 2004-2013 Health Worker Cohort Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico (n = 9485). The following known risk factors for liver disease/cancer were evaluated: elevated aminotransferase levels (elevated alanine aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females; elevated aspartate aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females), infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, metabolic syndrome, high total cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, abdominal obesity, and heavy alcohol use. The main independent variables for this study classified individuals by country of residence (i.e., Mexico vs the US) and place of birth (i.e., US-born vs Mexico-born). Regression analyses were used to investigate CLD risk factors.
RESULTS After adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, Mexican-American males were more likely to be obese, diabetic, heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than males in Mexico. The adjusted multivariate results for females also indicate that Mexican-American females were significantly more likely to be obese, diabetic, be heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than Mexican females. The prevalence ratios and prevalence differences mirror the multivariate analysis findings for the aforementioned risk factors, showing a greater risk among US-born as compared to Mexico-born Mexican-Americans.
CONCLUSION In this study, Mexican-Americans in the US had more risk factors for CLD than their counterparts in Mexico. These findings can be used to design and implement more effective health promotion policies and programs to address the specific factors that put Mexicans at higher risk of developing CLD in both countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne N Flores
- Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Delegación Morelos, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62000, México
- UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- UCLA Cancer Prevention and Control Research Center, Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Zuo-Feng Zhang
- UCLA Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Roshan Bastani
- UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- UCLA Cancer Prevention and Control Research Center, Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Mei Leng
- UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Catherine M Crespi
- UCLA Cancer Prevention and Control Research Center, Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- UCLA Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Paula Ramírez-Palacios
- Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Delegación Morelos, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62000, México
| | - Heather Stevens
- University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Jorge Salmerón
- Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Delegación Morelos, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62000, México
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Academic Epidemiology Research Unit, Avenida Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, México
- Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62100, México
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Akhtar F, Rehman S. A Public Health Analysis on Gaps in Disease Monitoring and Opportunities for Improved Care for the Management of Hepatitis B and C. Cureus 2018; 10:e2077. [PMID: 29560290 PMCID: PMC5856414 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.2077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C have been major disease-causing agents among humans since they were discovered in the 1960s. Both cause jaundice-like symptoms initially but their prognosis and treatment are somehow different and depend upon many demographic details, such as the age and susceptibility of the patients and any other comorbid conditions. They clinically present primarily with hepatitis and can have many adverse effects or even be life-threatening at times, if not treated properly. However, their epidemiological background and findings in terms of morbidity, mortality, and case fatality rates are different. The disease burden, impact on the healthcare system, and prevention of the two diseases are quite different. The treatment and management options along with the prevention and control measures share unique strategies for handling the two diseases. The purpose of this review is to highlight the gaps in disease monitoring and to find ways and opportunities that can lead to improved care and better management of Hepatitis B and C locally and globally. Online databases were searched and peer-reviewed articles were selected. Key issues identified were lack of education globally in resource-limited settings, leading to a decreased understanding of the potential hazards associated with needle sharing and lack of access to healthcare because of a lack of insurance. The failure of compliance with vaccination leads to an increase in mother-to-child transmission (MTCT)-related infections. Increased global travel demands a systematic program in most immigrant-receiving countries to screen for hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis c virus (HCV) infections. Delayed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensing for new drugs hampers the treatment of chronic Hepatitis-B (CHB) among children. With the advancement in science, an effective vaccine against HCV will definitely help in eradicating the infection.
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State of the Art, Unresolved Issues, and Future Research Directions in the Fight against Hepatitis C Virus: Perspectives for Screening, Diagnostics of Resistances, and Immunization. J Immunol Res 2016; 2016:1412840. [PMID: 27843956 PMCID: PMC5098088 DOI: 10.1155/2016/1412840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) still represents a major public health threat, with a dramatic burden from both epidemiological and clinical points of view. New generation of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has been recently introduced in clinical practice promising to cure HCV and to overcome the issues related to the interferon-based therapies. However, the emergence of drug resistance and the suboptimal activity of DAAs therapies against diverse HCV genotypes have been observed, determining treatment failure and hampering an effective control of HCV spread worldwide. Moreover, these treatments remain poorly accessible, particularly in low-income countries. Finally, effective screening strategy is crucial to early identifying and treating all HCV chronically infected patients. For all these reasons, even though new drugs may contribute to impacting HCV spread worldwide a preventive HCV vaccine remains a cornerstone in the road to significantly reduce the HCV spread globally, with the ultimate goal of its eradication. Advances in molecular vaccinology, together with a strong financial, political, and societal support, will enable reaching this fundamental success in the coming years. In this comprehensive review, the state of the art about these major topics in the fight against HCV and the future of research in these fields are discussed.
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Guingané AN, Meda N, Sombié R, Béré/Somé C, Sia L, Ido/Da R, Guiraud I, Bougouma A. Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B in the Urban District Health Baskuy Burkina Faso. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.4236/ojgas.2016.66023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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