title: Factors related to hepatitis B screening among Africans in New York City.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand factors that US Africans identify as barriers and facilitators for accessing hepatitis B (HBV) screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews were conducted and guided by the PEN-3 model to elicit culturally driven information in minority communities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviews were conducted with 22 US Africans. Salient themes that emerged were HBV knowledge, complexity of the US medical system, unaccustomed to preventive care, language and health literacy, availability and accessibility of screening, fear of disclosure, reliance on faith community, stigma of HBV, primacy towards a higher power on illnesses, and social systems influences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings were consistent with other at-risk populations, however, emphasis on privacy and fear of disclosure are distinct to Africans. This reinforces the need for a culturally targeted intervention for this at-risk population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Pathu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sriphanlop
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jandorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Clement
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kairouz
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thelemaque
authors.affiliation: Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hari
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.affiliation: Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. Ponni.Perumalswami@mountsinai.org.
authors.forename: Ponni
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perumalswami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003469:Culture; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D001741:Black or African American