Expand community engagement and advocacy in chronic viral hepatitis

Community engagement and advocacy are important to drive development and improved service delivery for chronic viral hepatitis. Community engagement is defined as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people affiliated by proximity, interests, or circumstances to support their well-being.

Appropriate community engagement can help reduce stigma, spread messages and inform the development of interventions.

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Few hepatitis studies or programs have shown effective and sustained community engagement, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To date, CBO contributions and advocacy efforts have focused on high-income settings;

however, the top-down strategies used in such contexts are often difficult to implement in LMICs due to structural, socioeconomic and cultural differences. The voices of people with viral hepatitis, including those of family members and communities with lived experiences of viral hepatitis, support the development of inclusive, effective and sustainable health services and health policies.