title: Hepatitis B vaccination status among healthy adults in Germany.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The hepatitis B vaccination policy in Germany was intensified by the implementation of hepatitis B vaccination for adolescents in the vaccination calendar in 1995. To investigate the effect of this measure on the hepatitis B vaccination coverage of healthy adults, we analysed the hepatitis B vaccination status of blood donors. Furthermore, the reasons for vaccination and the relationship between vaccination status and age, sex, and current profession were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a standardised questionnaire, randomly incoming whole blood donors were asked for hepatitis B vaccination status, the reason for vaccination, gender, age and current profession. Multiple logistic regression analysis with vaccination status as dependent variable and age, gender and current profession as explanatory variables was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 1519 (22.3%) of the 6812 interviewed whole blood donors were vaccinated against hepatitis B. Younger age was significantly associated with higher acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination with already 44.1% of whole blood donors aged 18-29 years being hepatitis B immunised. Beside health care workers, teaching professions and students showed the highest hepatitis B vaccination rate. Foreign travel was nearly an equivalently important reason for hepatitis B vaccination as occupational risks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high hepatitis B vaccination coverage among young and healthy adults indicates the success of the intensified hepatitis B vaccination policy since 1995. However, concentrating education measures on individuals with lower educational level and intensifying hepatitis B vaccination in the context of foreign travel could further increase the acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haemostaseology, University Hospital of Erlangen, Germany. WEMLJuergen.Ringwald@trans.imed.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ringwald
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mertz
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Weisbach
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rabe
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strasser
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seyboth
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eckstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires