Awareness that HPV causes cervical cancer declines among Americans
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Key takeaways:
- The percentage of survey respondents who reported knowing that HPV causes cervical cancer decreased from 77.6% in 2014 to 70.2% in 2020.
- Awareness that HPV can cause anal, oral and penile cancers remained low.
Results of a survey study showed a decrease in the proportion of Americans who are aware that HPV causes cervical cancer, according to a presenter at American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.
Additionally, fewer than one-third of survey respondents knew that HPV can cause anal, oral and penile cancers, according to the data.
Rationale and methods
“We came to realize that despite the growing burden of HPV-associated cancers in the U.S., knowledge and awareness that certain cancers could be caused by HPV among the U.S. population was suboptimal, and the variation of this knowledge and awareness over time had not previously been assessed,” Eric Adjei Boakye, PhD, assistant scientist in the department of health sciences and the department of otolaryngology at Henry Ford Health, told Healio. “Increasing knowledge and awareness that HPV causes several cancers is considered one of the most effective strategies for increasing vaccination uptake and eliminating HPV-associated cancers.”
Boakye and colleagues assessed awareness among Americans of the link between HPV and several cancers in 2017, and sought to determine whether changes occurred over time.
The researchers pooled data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) — a nationally representative survey of adults in the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population — from five timepoints between 2014 and 2020, including HINTS 4 cycle 4 (2014; n = 2,239), HINTS 5 cycle 1 (2017; n = 2,034), HINTS 5 cycle 2 (2018; n = 2,050), HINTS 5 cycle 3 (2019; n = 2,270) and HINTS 5 cycle 4 (2020; n = 2,340). The survey asked whether participants thought HPV can cause anal, cervical, oral and penile cancers. Each timepoint included responses from 2,000 to 2,350 individuals.
The investigators calculated weighted prevalence estimates and corresponding 95% CIs for all four HPV-associated cancer awareness questions at each timepoint.
Findings
Results showed a decrease in the percentage of respondents who reported knowing that HPV causes cervical cancer, from 77.6% in 2014 to 70.2% in 2020.
Awareness of HPV as a cause of anal, oral and penile cancers remained low throughout the study period. Specifically, awareness that HPV causes anal cancer decreased from 27.9% in 2014 to 27.4% in 2020, awareness of the risk for oral cancer decreased from 31.2% in 2014 to 29.5% in 2020 and awareness of the risk for penile cancer decreased from 30.3% in 2014 to 28.4% in 2020.
Limitations of the study included the cross-sectional design and the fact that overall public awareness may be lower.
“Even though it has been a long time since the HPV vaccine was approved in 2006, U.S. awareness about HPV causing anal, oral and penile cancers remains very low,” Adjei Boakye told Healio. “Only one in three American adults are aware of the causal link between HPV and these cancer types. In addition, there has not been a change in the awareness level for any of the cancers over the last decade, and for cervical cancer it has decreased.”
The U.S. has failed to achieve the government’s Healthy People 2020 target of 80% HPV vaccination coverage, Adjei Boakye added.
“Given the associations between HPV-associated cancer awareness and HPV vaccination uptake, it is important that we increase the population’s awareness of this link as it may help increase vaccine uptake,” he said. “HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90% of HPV-associated cancers, therefore, we should improve vaccine uptake to decrease preventable cases and death due to these cancers.”
Implications
The HPV vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing HPV-associated diseases in both males and females. Those aged 9 to 45 years can receive the vaccine and should talk to their doctors about vaccination for themselves, children or other family members, Adjei Boakye told Healio.
Because nearly all of the study data had been collected before approval of the COVID-19 vaccines, the findings do not reflect the potential impact of vaccine misinformation that circulated during the pandemic, Adjei Boakye said.
“Future research should examine the effect this has had on HPV vaccination, including vaccine hesitancy, perceptions and awareness of the link between HPV and HPV-associated cancers,” he said. “Future research should also come up with innovative ways to address vaccine misinformation, especially on social media, and ways to educate the public about the cancer-prevention benefits of the HPV vaccine, since it appears that existing interventions have not increased awareness levels.”
References:
- Adjei Boakye E, et al. Abstract 4210. Presented at: American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting; April 14-19, 2023; Orlando.
- Awareness of the link between HPV and cervical cancer has declined (press release). Available at: www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/awareness-of-the-link-between-hpv-and-cervical-cancer-has-declined/. Published April 18, 2023. Accessed April 18, 2023.
For more information:
Eric Adjei Boakye, PhD, can be reached at eadjei1@hfhs.org.
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Adjei Boakye E, et al. Abstract 4210. Presented at: American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting; April 14-19, 2023; Orlando.
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