Human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among 18‐ to 26‐year‐old women in the United States

BACKGROUND:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among young adult women has been reported to be very low. The authors conducted this study to provide an update on HPV vaccine uptake among 18‐ to 26‐year‐old women.

METHODS:

The authors used the National Health Interview Survey 2010 data to estimate HPV vaccine coverage and their correlates.

RESULTS:

Overall, 22.7% of women initiated (≥1 dose) and 12.7% completed the vaccine (≥3 doses). Thus, about 56% of women who initiated the vaccine completed it. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that younger age, unmarried status, Papanicolaou test, influenza vaccine, lifetime vaccines, and HPV vaccine awareness were positively associated with receiving ≥1 and ≥3 doses. In addition, uninsured women were less likely to receive ≥1 dose (odds ratio [OR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28‐0.84), and blacks (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.23‐0.99) and women with a family income <100% of the federal poverty level (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21‐0.73) were less likely to receive ≥3 doses. Furthermore, based on vaccine initiators, blacks were less likely than whites to complete the vaccine (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16‐0.55). Two thirds of unvaccinated women were not interested in future vaccination. Among those who were interested, >76.4% preferred to receive it free or at a lower cost, whereas 20% would pay the full cost of the vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS:

One in 8 women completed the 3‐dose HPV vaccine. Educational and vaccine financing programs are needed to improve the uptake among low‐income minority women who are at increased risk for cervical cancer. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.