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"Risk factors in SEA patients were
injection therapy, dental
therapy and surgery (89%,
70% and 38%, respectively). Most
Caucasian patients (94%) correctly
identified their mode of acquisition
compared with 33% of SEA patients (P < 0.0001).
"
Volume 19 Issue 7 Page 792 - July
2004
To cite this
article: ANOUK DEV, VIJAYA
SUNDARARAJAN, WILLIAM SIEVERT (2004)
Ethnic and cultural determinants
influence risk assessment for
hepatitis C acquisition
Journal of Gastroenterology and
Hepatology 19 (7), 792–798.
doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2004.03381.x
HEPATOLOGY
Ethnic and cultural
determinants influence risk
assessment for hepatitis C
acquisition
-
ANOUK DEV*Dr
Anouk Dev, Department of
Gastroenterology, Monash Medical
Centre, 246 Clayton Road,
Clayton, Victoria 3168,
Australia. Email: dev00004@mc.duke.edu*Monash
University Department of
Medicine and Department of
Gastroenterology, Monash Medical
Center and
,
-
VIJAYA
SUNDARARAJANDepartment
of Human Services, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia
AND
-
WILLIAM SIEVERT**Monash
University Department of
Medicine and Department of
Gastroenterology, Monash Medical
Center and
-
*Monash University
Department of Medicine and
Department of
Gastroenterology, Monash
Medical Center and
Department of Human
Services, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia
Dr Anouk Dev, Department of
Gastroenterology, Monash Medical
Centre, 246 Clayton Road,
Clayton, Victoria 3168,
Australia. Email:
dev00004@mc.duke.edu
Background and Aim: In the
developed world hepatitis C virus
(HCV) infection is predominantly
associated with sharing contaminated
equipment between injecting drug
users (IDU). In developing countries
inadequately sterilized medical
equipment, transmission of infected
blood and cultural practices have
been implicated. Accurate risk
factor assessment is essential for
education targeted at risk reduction
in culturally diverse populations.
Methods: Ninety
Australian-born Caucasians and 72
South-east Asian (SEA) HCV patients
attending a Melbourne hospital liver
clinic completed a questionnaire
which assessed risk factor profile,
perceived risk factors, knowledge of
risk factors and methods to minimize
transmission. Medical records were
audited to identify doctor
assessment of risk factors.
Results: Risk factors in
Caucasians were IDU, body piercing
and tattooing (89%, 47% and 32%,
respectively). Risk factors in SEA
patients were injection therapy,
dental therapy and surgery (89%, 70%
and 38%, respectively). Most
Caucasian patients (94%) correctly
identified their mode of acquisition
compared with 33% of SEA patients (P < 0.0001).
Accurate risk factor documentation
in medical records was more common
in Caucasians (96 vs 32%;
P < 0.0001). The majority of
patients identified blood-to-blood
and sexual/vertical transmission as
important modes of acquisition.
However, 33% of SEA patients
believed transmission occurred
through food, water and poor hygiene
and 80% did not identify therapeutic
injection or traditional medical
practices as risk factors. Education
provided to SEA patients did not
address less well established routes
of transmission.
Conclusions: Ethnicity
influences perception and knowledge
of risk factors. Improved assessment
of risk factors in high-risk ethnic
groups is needed. Education should
be culturally appropriate and
address the concerns of all
populations with HCV.
© 2004
Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
-
Ausra Stikleryte,
Jolanta Griskeviciene, Lars O.
Magnius, Kestutis Zagminas,
Helene Norder, Arvydas
Ambrozaitis. (2006)
Characterization of HCV strains
in an oncohematological
pediatric department reveals
little horizontal transmission
but multiple introductions by
un-screened blood products in
the past. Journal of Medical
Virology 78:11,
1411
Two years
earlier.....
Published by the University of
Chicago Press
|
Title
|
We're at as Much Risk
as We Are Led to
Believe: Effects of
Message Cues on
Judgments of Health Risk |
|
Author(s)
|
Geeta Menon, Lauren G.
Block, and Suresh
Ramanathan |
|
Identifiers
|
Journal of Consumer
Research, volume 28
(2002), pages 533–549
DOI:
10.1086/338203
|
|
Availability
|
This site:
PS
|
HTML
|
PDF (125.9k)
[Subscription
required] |
|
Copyright
|
© 2002, JOURNAL OF
CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc.. |
|
Abstract
|
One of the greatest
challenges in
advertising
health-related
information is
overcoming the target
audiences' self-positivity
bias (i.e., the tendency
for people to believe
that they are
invulnerable to
disease).
In this article, we
show that the self-positivity
bias hinders message
processing, and we
demonstrate that message
cues can reduce this
bias and engage people
in more precautionary
thinking and behavior.
We identify the process
by which risk-behavior
cues provided in the
message affect people's
estimates of their
vulnerability (self-risk
estimates), depth of
message processing,
attitudes, and
behavioral intentions.
We test and find support
for our theory in three
studies that specify the
types of risk behaviors
that make the
contraction of a disease
seem easy versus
difficult (study 1),
that examine their
interactive effects with
the number of risk
behaviors that are
enumerated (study 2),
and that delineate the
underlying process by
which these effects
manifest (study 3).
We demonstrate that
the self-positivity bias
acts as an a priori
hypothesis on the basis
of which people process
and test incoming
risk-behavior
information, as would be
predicted by
confirmatory hypothesis
testing theory. Our
findings affect the
theoretical
understanding of how
memory- and
message-based factors
work in opposing ways
and suggest a more
comprehensive framework
for understanding
memory- versus
message-based judgments.
Our results also have
implications for media
strategy and public
health policy by
differentiating between
commonly used
risk-behavior messages
that are beneficial to
the communicator's goals
(e.g., increase
compliance) and those
that are detrimental to
the communicator's goals
(e.g., decrease
compliance). |
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