Messaging of Different Disease Outcomes for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Systematic Review

PurposeThe purpose of this systematic review was to assess how messaging for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent different health outcomes (sexually transmitted infection, anogenital warts ([AGW], and/or cancer) influences intentions or initiation for the vaccine series.MethodsWe searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases for all previously published articles with an evaluation, discussion, or comparison of messages containing content about HPV infections, AGW, precancers, or cancer through June 3, 2021. Results about messages were summarized by study population and design.ResultsWe identified 25 studies evaluating or comparing messages containing content about HPV-associated outcomes. Study designs included randomized trials (n = 12), cross-sectional surveys (n = 8), and qualitative approaches (n = 5). Few studies directly compared different messages using randomized designs or included vaccination uptake as the outcome. While many studies found support for cancer prevention messages, some studies also found equal or greater support for messages focusing on prevention of sexually transmitted infection/AGW. Variability was observed within and between studied populations (parents/adults, adolescents, young adults, healthcare providers, and adult males) and gender (male and female adolescents).DiscussionA greater understanding and deeper attention to myriad health outcomes of HPV infections could increase vaccination uptake in a variety of populations for health promotion across the lifespan.     

Factors Affecting Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Men: Systematic Review

BackgroundDespite the high risks associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), the HPV vaccination rate of men is far lower than women. Most previous review studies have focused on female vaccination and related affecting factors. However, previous studies have reported that the factors affecting HPV vaccination differ by gender.ObjectiveThe aim of this review was to identify the factors affecting HPV vaccine initiation in men through a systematic review approach.MethodsA literature review was conducted across 3 central electronic databases for relevant articles. A total of 30 articles published between 2013 and 2019 met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed in this study.ResultsIn total, 50 factors affecting HPV vaccination in men were identified, including 13 sociodemographic factors and social structure factors, 12 belief-related variables, 4 family factors, 4 community factors, 14 variables related to needs, and 3 environmental factors.ConclusionsTo increase HPV vaccination rates in men, strategies targeting young males and their families should consider frequent visits to or contact with health care providers so that health care professionals can provide recommendations for HPV vaccination.     

The Digital Distribution of Public Health News Surrounding the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Longitudinal Infodemiology Study

Background

New media changes the dissemination of public health information and misinformation. During a guest appearance on the Today Show, US Representative Michele Bachmann claimed that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines could cause “mental retardation”.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to explore how new media influences the type of public health information users access, as well as the impact to these platforms after a major controversy. Specifically, this study aims to examine the similarities and differences in the dissemination of news articles related to the HPV vaccination between Google News and Twitter, as well as how the content of news changed after Michele Bachmann’s controversial comment.

Methods

This study used a purposive sampling to draw the first 100 news articles that appeared on Google News and the first 100 articles that appeared on Twitter from August 1-October 31, 2011. Article tone, source, topics, concerns, references, publication date, and interactive features were coded. The intercoder reliability had a total agreement of .90.

Results

Results indicate that 44.0% of the articles (88/200) about the HPV vaccination had a positive tone, 32.5% (65/200) maintained a neutral tone, while 23.5% (47/200) presented a negative tone. Protection against diseases 82.0% (164/200), vaccine eligibility for females 75.5% (151/200), and side effects 59.0% (118/200) were the top three topics covered by these articles. Google News and Twitter articles significantly differed in article tone, source, topics, concerns covered, types of sources referenced in the article, and uses of interactive features. Most notably, topic focus changed from public health information towards political conversation after Bachmann’s comment. Before the comment, the HPV vaccine news talked more often about vaccine dosing (P<.001), duration (P=.005), vaccine eligibility for females (P=.03), and protection against diseases (P=.04) than did the later pieces. After the controversy, the news topic shifted towards politics (P=.01) and talked more about HPV vaccine eligibility for males (P=.01).

Conclusions

This longitudinal infodemiology study suggests that new media influences public health communication, knowledge transaction, and poses potential problems in the amount of misinformation disseminated during public health campaigns. In addition, the study calls for more research to adopt an infodemiology approach to explore relationships between online information supply and public health decisions.     

The Role of Media and the Internet on Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting: A Case Study of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the temporal association of print media coverage and Internet search activity with adverse events reports associated with the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil (HPV4) and the meningitis vaccine Menactra (MNQ) among United States adolescents.MethodsWe used moderated linear regression to test the relationships between print media reports in top circulating newspapers, Internet search activity, and reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) for HPV4 and MNQ during the first 2.5 years after Food and Drug Administration approval.ResultsCompared with MNQ, HPV4 had more coverage in the print media and Internet search activity, which corresponded with the frequency of VAERS reports. In February 2007, we observed a spike in print media for HPV4. Although media coverage waned, Internet search activity remained stable and predicted the rise in HPV4-associated VAERS reports.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that media coverage and Internet search activity, in particular, may promote increased adverse event reporting. Public health officials who have long recognized the importance of proactive engagement with news media must now consider strategies for meaningful participation in Internet discussions.     

Correlates of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Female University Students

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most frequently occurring sexually transmitted infection in the United States, but only one third of adolescent girls have received the HPV vaccine (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012; Committee on Infectious Diseases, 2012). Understanding correlates of vaccination behavior among young women has important implications for health care delivery and public service messages targeting HPV vaccination. Female college students (N = 313) completed web-based surveys during their sophomore (second) year of college, fall 2008. Surveys included questions about HPV vaccination, demographic factors (ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status [SES]), individual characteristics (romantic relationship status, grade point average, religiosity), and sexual behavior. Lifetime HPV vaccination was reported by 46.5% of participants. Being African American/Black was associated with a lower likelihood of vaccination. Having a mother with more education, adhering to religious teachings about sex-related principles, and having engaged in recent penetrative sex were associated with a higher likelihood of vaccination. Health care providers should consider young women to be an important group for HPV vaccine education and catch-up, particularly for African American/Black young women and young women from lower SES backgrounds. Providing vaccine education and access to young women before they become sexually active is critical.     

Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination,Rwanda and Bhutan

Rwanda and Bhutan, 2 low- and middle-income countries, implemented primarily school-based national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in 2011 (Rwanda) and 2010 (Bhutan). We estimated vaccination effectiveness through urine-based HPV prevalence surveys in schools in 2013–2014 and 2017. In Rwanda, 912 participants from baseline surveys and 1,087 from repeat surveys were included, and in Bhutan, 973 participants from baseline surveys and 909 from repeat surveys were included. The overall effectiveness against vaccine-targeted HPV types (i.e., HPV-6/11/16/18) was 78% (95% CI 51%–90%) in Rwanda, and 88% (6%–99%) in Bhutan and against other α-9 types was 58% (21–78) in Rwanda and 63% (27–82) in Bhutan. No effect against other HPV types was detectable. Prevalence of vaccine-targeted HPV types decreased significantly, as well as that of other α-9 types, suggesting cross-protection. These findings provide direct evidence from low- and middle-income countries of the marked effectiveness of high-coverage school-based, national HPV vaccination programs.     

Acceptance of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Californian Parents of Daughters: A Representative Statewide Analysis

PurposeTo examine likelihood of parental acceptance of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for young adolescent girls, together with reasons for acceptance and nonacceptance. The ultimate goal of this research is to inform policy decisions and educational planning in this area.MethodsA random-digit-dial telephone survey of parents in California households was conducted, yielding 522 parents with an eligible daughter. Cross tabulations and odds ratios were employed to analyze likelihood of vaccination acceptability. Reasons provided for acceptance or nonacceptance were analyzed qualitatively.ResultsOverall, 75% of the sample reported that they would be likely to vaccinate a daughter before age 13 years. Hispanic parents were more likely to accept vaccination than were non-Hispanic parents, whereas African-American and Asian-American parents were less likely. Other subgroups less likely to accept vaccination were identified. Five clusters of reasons by nonaccepting parents emerged: pragmatic concerns about effects on sexual behavior, specific HPV vaccine concerns, moral concerns about sexual behavior, general vaccine concerns, and denial of need. A sixth group of interest comprised those who would vaccinate before age 16 years, but not age 13.ConclusionsConsistent with previous studies on this topic, a large majority of California parents endorsed HPV vaccination for daughters by the recommended age. Although important subgroup disparities were found, majorities of all subgroups supported vaccination. This information, together with the identified clusters of cognitive decision factors for nonacceptance, has implications for policy decisions and educational planning in this area. Suggestions for further research on subgroup disparities and on cognitive factors involved in parents’ decisions arise from these findings.     

Accuracy of Self-reported Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Status Among Gay and Bisexual Adolescent Males: Cross-sectional Study

BackgroundMen who have sex with men are a risk group for anal human papillomavirus (HPV) and anal cancer. Australia introduced a universal school-based HPV vaccination program in 2013. Self-reported HPV vaccination status has been widely used in clinical and research settings, but its accuracy is understudied.ObjectiveWe aimed to examine the accuracy of self-reported HPV vaccination status among gay and bisexual adolescent males.MethodsWe included 192 gay and bisexual males aged 16-20 years from the Human Papillomavirus in Young People Epidemiological Research 2 (HYPER2) study in Melbourne, Australia. All participants had been eligible for the universal school-based HPV vaccination program implemented in 2013 and were asked to self-report their HPV vaccination status. Written informed consent was obtained to verify their HPV vaccination status using records at the National HPV Vaccination Program Register and the Australian Immunisation Register. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of self-reported HPV vaccination status.ResultsThe median age of the 192 males was 19 (IQR 18-20) years. There were 128 males (67%) who had HPV vaccination records documented on either registry. Self-reported HPV vaccination had a sensitivity of 47.7% (95% CI 38.8%-56.7%; 61/128), a specificity of 85.9% (95% CI 75.0%-93.4%; 55/64), a positive predictive value of 87.1% (95% CI 77.0%-93.9%; 61/70), and a negative predictive value of 45.1% (95% CI 36.1%-54.3%; 55/122).ConclusionsSelf-reported HPV vaccination status among Australian gay and bisexual adolescent males underestimates actual vaccination and may be inaccurate for clinical and research purposes.     

Vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus: the lessons we have not learned

Recent conversations regarding the vaccine against the Human Papillomavirus have focused on scientific concerns of effectiveness and scope of prevention as well as social, political and economic concerns including who should be eligible to receive the vaccine and why. However, discussions to date have not reflected on comparable historical perspectives including lessons learned in the development and marketing of the Hepatitis B vaccine. These two vaccines have remarkably similar public health implications in the prevention of specific cancers as well as generating alike social, political and financial concerns. The present paper examines these similarities with the intention of providing perspective on the current Human Papillomavirus vaccine debate and advocating for more expedient and expansive vaccine availability.     

Population-Level Effects of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Programs on Infections with Nonvaccine Genotypes

We analyzed human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalences during prevaccination and postvaccination periods to consider possible changes in nonvaccine HPV genotypes after introduction of vaccines that confer protection against 2 high-risk types, HPV16 and HPV18. Our meta-analysis included 9 studies with data for 13,886 girls and women ≤19 years of age and 23,340 women 20–24 years of age. We found evidence of cross-protection for HPV31 among the younger age group after vaccine introduction but little evidence for reductions of HPV33 and HPV45. For the group this same age group, we also found slight increases in 2 nonvaccine high-risk HPV types (HPV39 and HPV52) and in 2 possible high-risk types (HPV53 and HPV73). However, results between age groups and vaccines used were inconsistent, and the increases had possible alternative explanations; consequently, these data provided no clear evidence for type replacement. Continued monitoring of these HPV genotypes is important.     

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination at a Time of Changing Sexual Behavior

Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence varies widely worldwide. We used a transmission model to show links between age-specific sexual patterns and HPV vaccination effectiveness. We considered rural India and the United States as examples of 2 heterosexual populations with traditional age-specific sexual behavior and gender-similar age-specific sexual behavior, respectively. We simulated these populations by using age-specific rates of sexual activity and age differences between sexual partners and found that transitions from traditional to gender-similar sexual behavior in women <35 years of age can result in increased (2.6-fold in our study) HPV16 prevalence. Our model shows that reductions in HPV16 prevalence are larger if vaccination occurs in populations before transitions in sexual behavior and that increased risk for HPV infection attributable to transition is preventable by early vaccination. Our study highlights the importance of using time-limited opportunities to introduce HPV vaccination in traditional populations before changes in age-specific sexual patterns occur.     

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Universal Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Using a Dynamic Bayesian Methodology: The BEST II Study

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) plays a role in the development of benign and malign neoplasms in both sexes. The Italian recommendations for HPV vaccines consider only females. The BEST II study (Bayesian modelling to assess the Effectiveness of a vaccination Strategy to prevent HPV-related diseases) evaluates 1) the cost-effectiveness of immunization strategies targeting universal vaccination compared with cervical cancer screening and female-only vaccination and 2) the economic impact of immunization on various HPV-induced diseases.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate whether female-only vaccination or universal vaccination is the most cost-effective intervention against HPV.MethodsWe present a dynamic Bayesian Markov model to investigate transmission dynamics in cohorts of females and males in a follow-up period of 55 years. We assumed that quadrivalent vaccination (against HPV 16, 18, 6, and 11) is available for 12-year-old individuals. The model accounts for the progression of subjects across HPV-induced health states (cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and head/neck cancer as well as anogenital warts). The sexual mixing is modeled on the basis of age-, sex-, and sexual behavioral-specific matrices to obtain the dynamic force of infection.ResultsIn comparison to cervical cancer screening, universal vaccination results in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €1,500. When universal immunization is compared with female-only vaccination, it is cost-effective with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €11,600. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis shows a relatively large amount of parameter uncertainty, which interestingly has, however, no substantial impact on the decision-making process. The intervention being assessed seems to be associated with an attractive cost-effectiveness profile.ConclusionsUniversal HPV vaccination is found to be a cost-effective choice when compared with either cervical cancer screening or female-only vaccination within the Italian context.     

Knowledge,Perceptions, and Decision Making About Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Korean American Women: A Focus Group Study

ObjectiveAs one of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in the United States, Korean American (KA) women experience a heightened cervical cancer burden. The advent of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer disparities in KA women. However, the uptake of HPV vaccine among KA adolescents remains suboptimal. Hence, we set out to explore knowledge, perceptions, and decision making about HPV vaccination among KA women.MethodsWe conducted four focus groups of 26 KA women who participated in a community-based, randomized, controlled trial to promote breast and cervical cancer screening. Focus group data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsFour main themes emerged from the focus groups: 1) limited awareness and knowledge of HPV vaccine, 2) perceptions and beliefs about HPV vaccination (acceptance, negative perceptions, ambivalence), 3) patterns of decision making about HPV vaccination (hierarchical, peer influenced, autonomous, and collaborative), and 4) promoting HPV education and information sharing in the Korean community.ConclusionKA women are generally positive toward HPV vaccination, but lack awareness and knowledge about HPV. Culturally tailored HPV education programs based on KA women's decision-making patterns and effective information sharing by trustworthy sources in comfortable environments are suggested strategies to promote HPV vaccination in the KA community. The findings point to the need for a multilevel approach to addressing linguistic, cultural, and system barriers that the recent immigrant community faces in promoting HPV vaccinations. In the development of targeted interventions for KA women, educational strategies and patterns of decision making need to be considered.     

Prevalence of Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection among Youth, Sweden

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical, head, and neck cancers. We studied 483 patients at a youth clinic in Stockholm, Sweden, and found oral HPV prevalence was 9.3% and significantly higher for female youth with than without cervical HPV infection (p = 0.043). Most oral HPV types matched the co-occurring cervical types.     

Parental Attitudes Toward Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Evaluation of an Educational Intervention, 2008

The authors' objectives were to improve human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine educational materials and to determine whether parents who received those materials had improved attitudes about the vaccine. Pretests were sent to 411 parents of girls 11–18 years of age who had not yet received the HPV vaccine. The authors then randomly assigned 270 respondents to an intervention (educational flyer and posttest) or comparison (posttest only) group. The authors conducted a mixed-method analysis of intervention group feedback on improving the flyer and used paired t tests and analysis of covariance to describe within- and between-group attitude changes. The overall posttest response rate was 76%. Among intervention group respondents (n = 131), 88% had a positive impression of the flyer, and 43% reported that it made them more likely to vaccinate their daughters with HPV vaccine in the future. Parents who received the flyer also showed a statistically significant increase in mean attitude scores regarding perceived HPV vaccine safety and access to HPV vaccine information; mean scores also increased among the comparison group, but the changes were not statistically significant. Educational materials improved HPV vaccine knowledge and attitudes among parents and might have helped motivate some parents to have their daughters vaccinated.