Talking about Hepatitis C: FAQs from Young Adults who Inject Drugs

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Health Promot Pract
• Personal Author:
  Knight, Lauren L. ; Wagner, Katherine ; Leyva, Yuridia ; Bruce, Veronica R. ; White, Kirsten A. M. ; Talamantes, Yvonne S. ; Price, Brittany ; Page, Kimberly ; Carvour, Martha L.
• Description:
  Introduction:
  
  Young adults who inject drugs and live in rural communities are at high risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Recent changes in HCV treatment must be communicated within these communities to improve access to care and reduce HCV transmission.
  
  Methods:
  
  Field workers in the ¡VÁLE! Hepatitis Treatment and Integrated Prevention Services study identified Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) posed by high-risk, young adult participants during HCV screening and educational sessions. From 2016–2018, 183 young adults (44.3% women; 85.8% Latino/a) under the age of 30 who inject drugs and reside in Rio Arriba or Doña Ana counties in New Mexico were enrolled. The research team compiled de-identified questions during field enrollments.
  
  Results:
  
  FAQs were reviewed and categorized into four major domains, including risk/prevention, screening, treatment, and reinfection. FAQs were addressed by a team of medical and public health professionals, utilizing the most current research and recommendations.
  
  Conclusions:
  
  These FAQs address important gaps in HCV knowledge among young adults who are at high risk for infection. The FAQs also highlight the importance of risk reduction counseling provided by frontline public health providers as well as access to safe and effective HCV treatments for young adults who inject drugs.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Article Harm Reduction Hepatitis C Virus Injection Drug Use Rural Health Young Adults
• Source:
  Health Promot Pract. 19(6):815-822
• Pubmed ID:
  30227752
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6436913
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U18 PS004568/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHS/United States ; U18PS004568/ACL HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001449/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  6
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:fbc2d8460ad8abb677b280790a3c47084208c40f2c64175bb2667440b46f397c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/77018/cdc_77018_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 518.67 KB ]