Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia
Abstract Background Hepatitis B is a chronic viral infection, a leading cause of primary liver cancer and identified as a major public health priority by the World Health Organization. Despite a high proportion of people in Australia who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, significant gaps remain...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12907-5 |
| _version_ | 1818319453686857728 |
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| author | Jack Wallace Yinzong Xiao Jess Howell Alex Thompson Nicole Allard Emily Adamson Jacqui Richmond Behzad Hajarizadeh Melanie Eagle Joseph Doyle Margaret Hellard |
| author_facet | Jack Wallace Yinzong Xiao Jess Howell Alex Thompson Nicole Allard Emily Adamson Jacqui Richmond Behzad Hajarizadeh Melanie Eagle Joseph Doyle Margaret Hellard |
| author_sort | Jack Wallace |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Hepatitis B is a chronic viral infection, a leading cause of primary liver cancer and identified as a major public health priority by the World Health Organization. Despite a high proportion of people in Australia who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, significant gaps remain in health care access and in accurate knowledge about hepatitis B. Most people with hepatitis B in Australia were born in China, where the infection has an intergenerational impact with significant social implications resulting from the infection. Understanding how people of Chinese ethnicity with hepatitis B understand and respond to hepatitis B is imperative for reducing morbidity, mortality, and the personal and social impact of the infection. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews with people with hepatitis B of Chinese ethnicity recruited through a specialist service identified the advice people with hepatitis B thought was important enough to inform the experience of people newly diagnosed with hepatitis B. A thematic analysis of the data privileged the lived experience of participants and their personal, rather than clinical, explanations of the virus. Results Hepatitis B infection had psychological and physical consequences that were informed by cultural norms, and to which people had responded to with significant behavioural change. Despite this cohort being engaged with specialist clinical services with access to the most recent, comprehensive, and expert information, much of the advice people with hepatitis B identified as important for living with hepatitis B was not based on biomedical understandings. Key suggestions from people with hepatitis B were to form sustainable clinical relationships, develop emotional resilience, make dietary changes, regulate energy, and issues related to disclosure. Conclusions The study highlights conflicts between biomedical and public health explanations and the lived experience of hepatitis B among people of Chinese ethnicity in Australia. Beliefs about hepatitis B are embedded within cultural understandings of health that can conflict with bio-medical explanations of the infection. Acknowledging these perspectives provides for insightful communication between health services and their clients, and the development of nuanced models of care informed by the experience of people with hepatitis B. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T10:09:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5f74c0f971314a7a9fc01360094fff6e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T10:09:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-5f74c0f971314a7a9fc01360094fff6e2022-12-21T23:51:28ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582022-03-012211810.1186/s12889-022-12907-5Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in AustraliaJack Wallace0Yinzong Xiao1Jess Howell2Alex Thompson3Nicole Allard4Emily Adamson5Jacqui Richmond6Behzad Hajarizadeh7Melanie Eagle8Joseph Doyle9Margaret Hellard10Burnet InstituteBurnet InstituteBurnet InstituteDepartment of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s HospitalWorld Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, The Doherty InstituteBurnet InstituteBurnet InstituteKirby Institute, University of New South Wales SydneyHepatitis VictoriaBurnet InstituteBurnet InstituteAbstract Background Hepatitis B is a chronic viral infection, a leading cause of primary liver cancer and identified as a major public health priority by the World Health Organization. Despite a high proportion of people in Australia who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, significant gaps remain in health care access and in accurate knowledge about hepatitis B. Most people with hepatitis B in Australia were born in China, where the infection has an intergenerational impact with significant social implications resulting from the infection. Understanding how people of Chinese ethnicity with hepatitis B understand and respond to hepatitis B is imperative for reducing morbidity, mortality, and the personal and social impact of the infection. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews with people with hepatitis B of Chinese ethnicity recruited through a specialist service identified the advice people with hepatitis B thought was important enough to inform the experience of people newly diagnosed with hepatitis B. A thematic analysis of the data privileged the lived experience of participants and their personal, rather than clinical, explanations of the virus. Results Hepatitis B infection had psychological and physical consequences that were informed by cultural norms, and to which people had responded to with significant behavioural change. Despite this cohort being engaged with specialist clinical services with access to the most recent, comprehensive, and expert information, much of the advice people with hepatitis B identified as important for living with hepatitis B was not based on biomedical understandings. Key suggestions from people with hepatitis B were to form sustainable clinical relationships, develop emotional resilience, make dietary changes, regulate energy, and issues related to disclosure. Conclusions The study highlights conflicts between biomedical and public health explanations and the lived experience of hepatitis B among people of Chinese ethnicity in Australia. Beliefs about hepatitis B are embedded within cultural understandings of health that can conflict with bio-medical explanations of the infection. Acknowledging these perspectives provides for insightful communication between health services and their clients, and the development of nuanced models of care informed by the experience of people with hepatitis B.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12907-5Hepatitis B virusHealth beliefsChinaDiagnosisHealth information |
| spellingShingle | Jack Wallace Yinzong Xiao Jess Howell Alex Thompson Nicole Allard Emily Adamson Jacqui Richmond Behzad Hajarizadeh Melanie Eagle Joseph Doyle Margaret Hellard Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia BMC Public Health Hepatitis B virus Health beliefs China Diagnosis Health information |
| title | Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia |
| title_full | Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia |
| title_short | Understanding how to live with hepatitis B: a qualitative investigation of peer advice for Chinese people living with hepatitis B in Australia |
| title_sort | understanding how to live with hepatitis b a qualitative investigation of peer advice for chinese people living with hepatitis b in australia |
| topic | Hepatitis B virus Health beliefs China Diagnosis Health information |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12907-5 |
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