Biggs Karen, Walsh Jennifer, Ooi Catriona
Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Western Sydney Local Health District, 162 Marsden Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia.
Sex Health. 2016 Oct;13(5):457-464. doi: 10.1071/SH15176.
The Deadly Liver Mob project (DLM) is an incentive-based, peer-driven health promotion intervention for Aboriginal people, focusing on hepatitis C and offering education and screening for sexually transmissible infections (STI) and blood-borne viruses (BBV). This study aims to assess the DLM effect on attendance and STI/BBV screening, describe BBV risk factors and report infection rates among Aboriginal people attending Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre (WSSHC).
A retrospective review of Aboriginal clients during the first year of the DLM project was compared with Aboriginal clients who attended during the 5.3 years before implementation of the project. Data on attendance, screening rates, demographics, lifestyle information and STI/BBV results were extracted.
There was a 10-fold increase in the number of Aboriginal people attending, via the DLM project (P<0.01). The DLM group were more likely to be male (47 vs 28%),≥35 years (46 vs 27%), report injecting drug use (IDU) (43 vs 26%), a history of incarceration (48 vs 24%) or unsafe tattooing (36 vs 16%) and have comprehensive STI/BBV testing (85 vs 54%); (P<0.01 for all). There were 79 positive results and 30 commenced hepatitis B vaccination in the DLM period, compared with 15 and 19, in the non-DLM period.
The DLM project effectively increased sexual healthcare attendance and screening for Aboriginal people in Western Sydney. The DLM has fostered ongoing care and facilitated service engagement for individuals at high risk of contracting STIs and BBVs.
“致命肝脏行动”项目（DLM）是一项针对原住民的、基于激励措施且由同伴推动的健康促进干预项目，重点关注丙型肝炎，并提供性传播感染（STI）和血源性病毒（BBV）的教育及筛查。本研究旨在评估DLM项目对就诊率和STI/BBV筛查的影响，描述BBV风险因素，并报告在西悉尼性健康中心（WSSHC）就诊的原住民中的感染率。
将DLM项目第一年期间的原住民客户与项目实施前5.3年期间就诊的原住民客户进行回顾性比较。提取了关于就诊率、筛查率、人口统计学、生活方式信息以及STI/BBV检测结果的数据。
通过DLM项目就诊的原住民人数增加了10倍（P<0.01）。DLM组更可能为男性（47%对28%）、年龄≥35岁（46%对27%）、报告有注射吸毒史（IDU）（43%对26%）、有监禁史（48%对24%）或不安全纹身史（36%对16%），并且进行全面的STI/BBV检测（85%对54%）；所有比较P均<0.01。在DLM期间有79项阳性结果，30人开始接种乙肝疫苗，而非DLM期间分别为15项和19人。
DLM项目有效提高了西悉尼原住民的性健康就诊率和筛查率。DLM为感染STIs和BBVs高风险个体提供了持续护理并促进了服务参与。
