Awareness and knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), HPV-related cancers, and HPV vaccines in an uninsured adult clinic population.

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines offer primary prevention of cervical cancer and protection against other HPV-associated cancers. HPV vaccine coverage in the United States (U.S.) remains low, particularly among older adolescents/young adults, and the uninsured. We assessed awareness and knowledge of HPV disease, HPV-related cancers, and HPV vaccines among working, uninsured adults. Data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 4) were used as a benchmark. Patients were surveyed in late 2014 at the Volunteers in Medicine free clinic in Duval County, Florida. Surveys contained validated measures of HPV disease and vaccine knowledge; HPV-related cancer knowledge was also assessed. Two-hundred and ninety-six surveys were analyzable with an 84% participation rate. Half (50.3%) of participants had heard of HPV, and 32.1% had heard of the HPV vaccine; in HINTS, these estimates were 63.6% and 62.7%, respectively (both P < 0.0001). In adjusted models, high HPV disease knowledge was associated with white race and increased education; high vaccine knowledge was associated with white race, increased education, and female sex. Recognition of HPV as a causative agent was 43.9% for cervical, 9.1% for anal, and 11.1% for throat cancers. For all HPV-associated cancers, participants had lower knowledge/recognition relative to HINTS. The uninsured, socioeconomically disadvantaged adults we surveyed were unaware of a ubiquitous virus that can cause cancer and the existence of a vaccine to protect against it. These findings point to settings and populations in which initiatives to promote HPV vaccination as a cancer prevention tool remain critical.

• Authors: Carmen Radecki Breitkopf, Lila J Finney Rutten, Victoria Findley, Debra J Jacobson, Patrick M Wilson, Monica Albertie, Robert M Jacobson, Gerardo Colón-Otero
• Journal: Cancer medicine (Cancer Med) Vol. 5 Issue 11 Pg. 3346-3352 (11 2016) ISSN: 2045-7634 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 27748078 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical References

• Papillomavirus Vaccines

Topics

• Adult
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Healthcare Disparities
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Odds Ratio
• Papillomaviridae
• Papillomavirus Infections (complications, epidemiology, prevention & control, virology)
• Papillomavirus Vaccines (immunology)
• Population Surveillance
• SEER Program
• Uterine Cervical Neoplasms (epidemiology, etiology, prevention & control)