EFFICACY OF INFORMATIONAL LETTERS ON HEPATITIS-B IMMUNIZATION RATES IN UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS

A randomized, controlled trial was conducted at a private university t o determine whether students who received an informational letter (n = 366) would be more likely to receive a hepatitis B vaccination than s tudents in a control group (n = 366). Surveys were conducted to determ ine the students' reasons for deciding to be vaccinated. Rates of hepa titis B immunization were significantly higher among students assigned to the intervention group (10.7%) than among the control group (1.9%) . Vaccinated students were more likely than unvaccinated students to r eport having had 3 or more sexual partners in the past 6 months. Stude nts at higher risk for hepatitis B infection were more likely than oth ers to be vaccinated. Although the overall rate of immunization was lo w, informational letters about the hepatitis B virus and vaccine were found to he efficacious in increasing hepatitis B immunization rates a mong students in the setting of a concurrent educational campaign.