Prisoners' attitudes toward Hepatitis B vaccination.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis B continues to be a substantial problem in the United States despite the existence of a safe and effective vaccine. Vaccination programs for inmates could reach many high-risk individuals but little is known about U.S. inmates' willingness to accept hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination while incarcerated. The goal of this study was to assess inmates' knowledge about hepatitis B and their willingness to accept hepatitis B vaccination while incarcerated.


METHODS
We interviewed 153 male and female inmates at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) using a voluntary, anonymous survey.


RESULTS
Ninety-three percent of inmates said they would agree to receive the hepatitis B vaccine while incarcerated. More than half of the 30% who reported having risk factors for hepatitis B did not consider themselves to be at risk for hepatitis B and almost half (44%) of all inmates were not aware that hepatitis B can be transmitted through unprotected sex.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatitis B vaccination programs in correctional settings are a public health priority and would be well received by the target population. Such programs would help protect the health of incarcerated persons and the communities to which they return.
Vallabhaneni
Snigdha
S
Brown University School of Medicine, RI 02912, USA.
Macalino
Grace E
GE
Reinert
Steven E
SE
Schwartzapfel
Beth
B
Wolf
Francis A
FA
Rich
Josiah D
JD
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012237:Rhode Island; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines