Affiliation:
1. Department of Medicine Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland Ohio USA
2. Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Cleveland Ohio USA
3. United Health Services Wilson Medical Center Johnson City New York USA
4. Center for Global Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston Massachusetts USA
5. Division of Infectious Diseases Massachusetts General Hospital Boston Massachusetts USA
6. Department of Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
Abstract
AbstractIn 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV); however, the proportion of US adults screened before implementing this recommendation is unknown. We analysed nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey (2013–2017) on self‐reported HBV testing among noninstitutionalized US adults ≥18 years. We employed Poisson logistic regression to identify factors associated with self‐reported testing, using a conceptual framework that included four overarching factors: sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare access, health‐seeking behaviours and experiences, and access to internet‐based health information. Among 149,628 survey respondents, the self‐reported HBV testing rate was 27.2% (95% CI 26.2–28.7) and increased by 1.7% from 2013 to 2017 (p = .006). In adjusted analysis, health‐seeking behaviours and experiences had the strongest associations of self‐reported testing including a history of hepatitis (AOR 2.68, 95% CI 1.92–3.73), receipt of hepatitis B vaccination (AOR 5.11, 95% CI 4.61–5.68) and prior testing for hepatitis C (AOR 9.14, 95% CI 7.97–10.48) and HIV (AOR 2.69, 95% CI 2.44–2.97). Other factors associated with testing included being male (AOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.26), ages 30–44 years (AOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.17–1.61), 45–60 years (AOR 1.55, 95% CI 1.30–1.80) and ≥60 years (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.28–1.84), residence in the Western US region (AOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.06–1.43), and access to internet‐based health information (AOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.18–1.47). Being Hispanic was associated with lower odds of testing (AOR 0.80, 95% CI 0.66–0.97). These findings may help guide optimal HBV screening in the universal testing era.