"Know More Hepatitis:" CDC's National Education Campaign to Increase Hepatitis C Testing Among People Born Between 1945 and 1965.

In 2012, CDC issued recommendations calling for those born between 1945 and 1965, or baby boomers, to get tested for the hepatitis C virus. To help implement this recommendation, CDC developed "Know More Hepatitis," a multimedia national education campaign. Guided by behavioral science theories and formative research, the campaign used multiple strategies to reach baby boomers and health-care providers with messages encouraging baby boomers to get tested for hepatitis C. With a limited campaign budget, the "Know More Hepatitis" campaign relied mostly on donated time and space from broadcast and print outlets. Donated placements totaled approximately $14.7 million, which reflected a more than 12-to-1 return on the campaign investment. This effort was supplemented with a small, paid digital advertising campaign. Combining audience impressions from both paid and donated campaign efforts resulted in more than 1.2 billion audience impressions.

"Know Hepatitis B:" A Multilingual Communications Campaign Promoting Testing for Hepatitis B Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The "Know Hepatitis B" campaign was the first national, multilingual communications campaign to promote testing for hepatitis B virus (HBV) among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). This population comprises fewer than 5% of the total U.S. population but accounts for more than half of the up to 1.4 million Americans living with chronic HBV infection. To address this health disparity with a national campaign, CDC partnered with Hep B United, a national coalition of community-based partners working to educate AAPIs about hepatitis B and the need for testing. Guided by formative research, the "Know Hepatitis B" campaign was implemented in 2013 with a two-pronged communications strategy. CDC used available Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese media outlets on a national level and relied on Hep B United to incorporate campaign materials into educational efforts at the local level. This partnership helped facilitate HBV testing among the priority population.

Lessons learned from exploratory research about viral hepatitis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted exploratory research as part of planning a national education campaign to raise awareness about viral hepatitis in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative research was to assess the baseline knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of four population groups. Sixteen focus groups were conducted during a 6-week period in the fall of 2009, with a total of 119 adults aged 35 to 60 years in Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston, Texas. The groups were stratified by Asian Americans, African Americans, gay or bisexual men, and general population. Group size ranged from three to nine participants, and each session was approximately 90 minutes in length. Both awareness and knowledge of viral hepatitis were low among all participants, including those at increased risk for the disease. Little was known about the different types of hepatitis, risk factors, or how the viruses are transmitted. Regarding the last, many indicated that the disease was airborne. In addition, participants incorrectly assumed that if they had viral hepatitis, they would have symptoms and know they were infected. Many participants also believed that they had been tested for the disease since their health care providers routinely "test their blood." The findings indicate that significant and concerted educational efforts are needed to improve basic knowledge of viral hepatitis, as well as knowledge about transmission, risk factors, screening, and treatment. As a result, a general awareness and education campaign must precede and support efforts to encourage screening.