HPV-related diseases perceived as separate concerns by teenage boys

Teenage boys conceptualized genital warts and HPV-related cancer as distinct conditions through drawings and descriptions, according to a poster presentation at the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

Researchers at the University of Indiana School of Medicine conducted a study of 14 teenage boys (aged 13 to 17 years) and their parents — all Medicaid eligible families — during primary care clinic visits where participants began or declined initiation of HPV vaccination. Andreia B. Alexander, PhD, and colleagues sought to better understand participants’ perceptions of the HPV vaccine and HPV-related diseases, including genital warts and anal and penile cancers. Participants, part of a population group with low HPV vaccination rates, were interviewed and asked to draw and explain pictures of individuals with genital warts and those with HPV-related cancer.

Upon analyzing and classifying the participants’ renderings and descriptions of genital warts compared with cancer, researchers said three primary concepts emerged. Themes included shame associated with developing genital warts, blame assigned to females for disease transmission, and death as being nearly inevitable after acquiring HPV-related diseases or HPV-associated cancer.

“This analysis demonstrates that young men view genital warts and HPV-related cancer differently, even though both outcomes are preceded by infection with HPV,” the researchers said. “This study suggests that young men would benefit from additional education from providers regarding HPV and its associated outcomes.”

For more information:

Alexander AB. #P14: Adolescent Male Conceptualization of HPV-Related Diseases Through Use of Projection Drawings. Presented at: Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 2013 Annual Meeting; March 13-16, Atlanta.