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Abstract Details
The association between internet use to obtain health information and receiving three doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine in a multi-ethnic population in Ohio
1Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
2Department of Global Health, Denison University, Granville, OH, USA.
3Division of Population Sciences, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
4Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
5Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA.
6Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
7Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Abstract
While most cancer incidence and mortality rates are decreasing, liver cancer rates are increasing. The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) vaccine prevents liver cancer, although not everyone receives all three doses of the vaccine. This study examined the association between using the internet as the primary source of health information and receiving three HBV vaccine doses among a multi-ethnic population in Ohio. From May 2017 through February 2018, participants in the Community Initiative Towards Improving Equity and Health Status (CITIES) study reported their primary health information source and if they received three HBV vaccine doses. A multivariable logistic regression model was fit using backwards selection. Overall, 26.6% received three HBV vaccine doses. After adjusting for race/ethnicity and education, the association between internet use and receiving three HBV vaccine doses was not significant (p-value = 0.73). In the process of model-building, race/ethnicity and educational attainment were identified as factors associated with completing the HBV vaccine; Hispanics (OR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.69) and African Americans (OR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.35, 0.81) had lower odds of receiving three doses compared to whites; compared to college graduates, those with a high school diploma or less also had lower odds (OR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.52). This study suggests no association between internet use and complete HBV vaccination; however, associations between both race/ethnicity and educational attainment and HBV vaccine completion were identified. Future research should consider factors that stem from racial/ethnic and educational disparities that may influence adherence to HBV vaccination (i.e., healthcare system mistrust, access to accurate health information).
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