Ethnic and Racial Disparities in HPV Vaccination Attitudes

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 1476 - 1482
• Main Authors: Otanez, Staci, Torr, Berna M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01-12-2018; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent girls; Adult; Attitudes; Black people; Black white differences; Cancer; Cervical cancer; Cervix; Comparative Law; Continental Population Groups - psychology; Cultural differences; Demographics; Ethnic differences; Ethnic groups; Ethnic Groups - psychology; Ethnicity; Female; Girls; Health disparities; Health information; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice - ethnology; Health services; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Immunization; International & Foreign Law; Knowledge; Logistic Models; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; ORIGINAL PAPER; Papillomavirus Vaccines - administration & dosage; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology; Private International Law; Public Health; Racial differences; Racial inequality; Regression analysis; Regression models; Research design; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic status; Socioeconomics; Sociology; Teenagers; Trust; Vaccination; Young Adult; Adolescent health; HPV vaccine; HPV knowledge; Health disparities
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-017-0685-2

There are substantial racial and ethnic disparities in the vaccination rate for human papillomavirus (HPV), which helps protect against cervical cancer. Using data from the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey, we explore differences between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in attitudes toward vaccinating adolescent girls for HPV. We use logistic regression models to explore whether racial/ethnic differences in attitudes toward HPV vaccinations are explained by HPV knowledge, demographic and socioeconomic status, and/or general distrust of the healthcare system. We include interactions to explore whether the effects of HPV knowledge and doctor distrust vary by racial/ethnic group. We find that greater HPV knowledge increases general willingness to vaccinate for all groups except Blacks. Our findings point to a need for additional research and design of culturally appropriate interventions that address barriers to vaccination.