Abstract
Introduction: Asian Americans is a Hepatitis B (HBV) disparity population who only account for 6% of the US population but experience a 60% burden of having HBV, which is associated with 75% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Adherence to HBV medication is a practical approach to prevent liver cancer. However, limited studies have been conducted on the impacts of depression on HBV medication adherence among underserved Asian American HBV patients. Methods: This study utilized 12-m follow up data from a randomized controlled clinical trial aimed at improving long-term adherence to HBV medication adherence. Eligible Asian American HBV patients were recruited from the Greater Philadelphia Area and New York City. HBV medication adherence was assessed using the 8-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), and depression was measured with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We conducted OLS regression to examine the association between depression and medication adherence among participants who reported that they were taking antiviral medication for their chronic hepatitis B condition. Results: Among 154 participants (118 Chinese and 36 Vietnamese), 43.57% were female, and 56.49% were male. Nearly all the participants reported having health insurance (92.21%) and having a physician to visit regularly (95.21%). Bivariate analysis showed that depression was negatively significantly associated with medication adherence score (r=-0.55, p<0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that a higher level of depressive symptoms at baseline significantly predicted poor medication adherence (log odds: -0.16, 95% CI: 4.02-6.89), with other covariates controlled for. In addition, study arm and ethnicity were significant predictors of medical adherence as well. Conclusion: The findings suggest that depression level has significant impacts on medication adherence. This indicates the need for mental health monitoring for CHB patients on antiviral. There are needs for culturally sensitive clinical and community interventions to improve mental health status and medication adherence among this vulnerable population. In addition, we will discuss the successes and challenges in the participant recruitment and intervention implementation process of this study.
Citation Format: Di Zhu, Danny Bracy, Wenyue Lu, Lin Zhu, Elizabeth Handorf, Yin Tan, Ming-chin Yeh, Minhhuyen T. Nguyen, Grace X. Ma. Depression is a risk factor for noncompliance with antiviral medication treatment among Asian Americans with chronic hepatitis B [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B109.