Are There Racial Differences in Hepatitis C Virus Infection among the Baby Boomer Birth Cohort? An Examination of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007-2016

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection disproportionately affects those in the baby boomer birth cohort which includes those born between 1946 and 1964. Additionally, those who are African-American have an unequal burden of HCV infections and disease outcomes. Previous studies have found a relationship between race and HCV infection specifically within the baby boomer birth cohort. However, no study to our knowledge has investigated this relationship with data from a national sample using laboratory test results to identify HCV infection. Methods: Data from 2007 to 2016 were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 3358 participants in this analysis. SAS 9.4 and G*Power were used for analysis and logistic regression was used for inferential analyses. Results: After controlling for selected covariates, Non-Hispanic Blacks had a higher odds of HCV infection compared to both Non-Hispanic Whites (aOR: 4.28 (95% CI: 1.87, 9.79)) and those of other races (aOR: 3.39 (95% CI: 1.38, 8.34)). Gender also remained significant in the multivariable analysis (p Conclusions: Race appears to be a significant predictor of HCV infection among baby boomers in the NHANES population. Programs interested in the prevention or improvement of Hepatitis C should focus on African-American baby boomers as an especially high-risk group. Due to the exclusion of those who are homeless and incarcerated in the NHANES data, future research needs to be conducted on baby boomers from these groups.