title: Hepatitis B Vaccination Status among Japanese Travelers.
abstract: This study clarified the characteristics of travelers who received hepatitis B vaccinations. Subjects were 233 Japanese travelers who visited our clinic prior to travel. We summarized the characteristics of the clients and performed two comparative studies: first, we compared a hepatitis B-vaccinated group with an unvaccinated group; second, we compared a group that had completed the hepatitis B vaccine series with a group that did not complete the series. The hepatitis B vaccine was administered to 152 clients. Factors positively associated with the hepatitis B vaccination (after adjusting for age and sex) included the following: travel for business or travel as an accompanying family member; travel to Asia; travel for a duration of a month or more; and, inclusion of the vaccine in a company or organization's payment plan. Meanwhile, factors negatively associated with the vaccination were travel for leisure or education, and travel to North America or Africa. Among 89 record-confirmed cases, only 53 completed 3 doses. The completion rate was negatively associated with the scheduled duration of travel if it was from a month to less than a year (after adjusting for age and sex). The present study provides a basis for promoting vaccination compliance more vigorously among Japanese adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Kenichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yaita
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.|Department of Pharmacy, Kurume University Hospital.
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iwahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masunaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014195:Travel; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
keywords: Japanese travelers; completion rate; hepatitis B vaccine; pre-travel consultation