A multimedia multilanguage web-based platform can assess and increase the awareness on HCV infection of Pakistani people living in Italy

A scoping review of media campaign strategies used to reach populations living with or at high risk for Hepatitis C in high income countries to inform future national campaigns in the United Kingdom

BACKGROUND

With the advent of direct acting antivirals, the World Health Organisation proposed eliminating Hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030. To achieve this, countries need to diagnose, engage in care and treat their undiagnosed populations. This will require sensitisation campaigns. However previous media campaigns have had mixed impact. We conducted a scoping review to identify and understand the impact of previous Hepatitis C media campaigns. These findings could inform the delivery of future campaigns.

METHODS

We searched five electronic databases for published literature on media campaigns conducted for Hepatitis C awareness, testing, and treatment in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries since 2010. Two independent reviewers screened citations for inclusion. Additionally, we spoke to stakeholders in the Hepatitis C field in the UK and conducted a Google search to identify any unpublished literature. A quantitative synthesis was conducted to identify targeted populations, strategies and media used, aims and impact of the campaigns.

RESULTS

A title and year of publication screening of 3815 citations resulted in 113 papers that had a full abstract screen. This left 50 full-text papers, 18 were included of which 9 (50%) were from Europe. 5 (27.8%) of campaigns targeted minority ethnicities, and 9 (50%) aimed to increase testing. A Google search identified 6 grey literature sources. Most campaigns were not evaluated for impact. Discussions with stakeholders identified several barriers to successful campaigns including lack of targeted messaging, stigmatising or accusatory messaging, and short-lived or intermittent campaign strategies.

CONCLUSION

Future campaigns will likely need to be multifaceted and have multiple tailored interventions. Campaigns will need to be sizeable and robust, integrated into health systems and viewed as an ongoing service rather than one-offs.

Educational interventions to improve hepatitis C testing or treatment in South Asian communities: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C (HCV) places a disproportionately higher burden on the South Asian community in comparison to the general population, despite the availability of effective antiviral therapies. This study seeks to characterize the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives aimed at South Asians to improve HCV prevention, education, screening, and treatment adherence. METHODS: A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42021253796) was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, ERIC, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 15 April 2022 for original studies that reported on any health promotion initiative directed at improving HCV outcomes in the South Asian community. Risk of bias was assessed via a quality score. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies (6 uncontrolled interventional, 3 before-after interventional, 3 randomized controlled, 2 prospective cohort, and 1 historically controlled interventional study designs) involving 69,958 participants were included. The most studied interventions were formal HCV teaching (n = 12), community outreach (n = 6), and coupling screening/testing with existing programs (n = 3). Ninety-two percent (14/15) of interventions were concluded to be successful, and 71% (10/14) of those were concluded to be feasible and/or cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that aim to improve HCV education and accessibility to screening/treatment can substantially reduce barriers to care in South Asian communities. Further research, of higher quality RCT evidence, is needed to study the long-term reduction in HCV prevalence from these proposed interventions, and their associated feasibility profiles.