Risk factors for hepatitis C transmission in the Victorian population: a telephone survey.
OBJECTIVE
To measure knowledge and prevalences of risk factors for hepatitis C infection in the Victorian community.


METHODS
Telephone survey of 757 Victorian householders aged 15+ years, March 1996.


RESULTS
An estimated 2.2% of Victorians have injected illicit drugs; 4.8% have tattoos and 49.6% have skin piercings; 11.4% received a blood transfusion before screening for HCV was introduced; 10.9% have had a test for HCV antibody. A majority of respondents perceived sexual contact and receipt of a transfusion to be risks for HCV transmission.


CONCLUSIONS
Risk factors associated with the spread of HCV are widespread in the Victorian community; however, the most important risk factor--injecting drug use--has low prevalence. Considerable uncertainty exists about risk factors for hepatitis C.


CONCLUSIONS
A very small percentage of Victorians are injecting drug users and therefore at highest risk of hepatitis C infection, therefore transmission control programs can be efficiently focused on this group. The Victorian community needs to be better educated about risk factors for hepatitis C, in particular that transfusions and blood donations are safe.
Watson
R
R
Public Health Branch, Victorian Department of Human Services.
Crofts
N
N
Mitchell
C
C
Aitken
C
C
Hocking
J
J
Thompson
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012984:Software; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology; D013653:Tattooing / Q000009:adverse effects; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology