Since the 1960s when Hepatitis was discovered, it has been considered as one of the top public health threats in the United States. In 2018 alone, there were a combined 8,000 new cases of Hepatitis B and C reported to the CDC with the actual number certainly being higher with estimates indicating the true number could be above 60,000 cases every year. In terms of transmission, Hepatitis is transferred through bodily fluids including blood and serum which makes transmission possible from the use of used needles for drug injection. In this cross sectional study, we used data from the CDC’s most recent available NHANES survey from 2017-2018 to test the association between use of needles in drug use and Hepatitis B or C infection in US residents above the age of 18. We used both binomial and multivariate logistic regression models to test the association between needle drug use and Hepatitis as well as other confounders such as age, race, income level, and blood transfusion status. After analysis we found that the use of needles for injection drug use increased the risk of being infected with Hepatitis by 33.46 times compared to people who did not use needles for drug use. While by far the greatest risk, we also found other factors increased the risk for Hepatitis such as having received a blood transfusion, which increased risk by 3.35 times, and age with the 40-64 age range being 4.54 times more likely and the 65+ age group being 6.43 times more likely to be infected. This study highlights the need for further access and resources that must be given to Needle Exchange Programs (NEP) across the country in combating Hepatitis B and C in the US.
Authors: Everett Dalesio, Ashley Lefebvre, Nick Wasserstrom
Advisor: Saruna Ghimire, Sociology and Gerontology
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