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HPV vaccination increases among teens with health-seeking behaviors
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BALTIMORE — HPV vaccination rates increased among high-risk urban youth with health-seeking behaviors, highlighting the significant influence health care providers have over vaccine adherence, according to research presented at the Annual Conference on Vaccine Research.
“Providers need to think about any opportunity to vaccinate and think about bundling of services as people are come into the clinic for any other health check [sexually transmitted infection (STI) or other vaccine] ,” Holly B. Fontenot, PhD, RN/NP, assistant professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College, told Infectious Disease News. “So, if patients are there for STI or HIV testing, then the health provider need to stop and think about what else they might be missing in terms of vaccination.”
Holly B. Fontenot
To study the factors associated with HPV vaccination among the “catch up” population, the researchers studied a diverse cohort of 2,537 adolescents, including disadvantaged, high-risk and LGBTQ boys and girls. Fontenot and colleagues analyzed medical records from a Boston community health center to determine patient characteristics associated with HPV vaccination and vaccine series completion. The data were grouped by sex due to differences in vaccine availability and recommendations based on sex. The researchers used statistical analysis to determine associations between vaccine status and health behaviors, demographics and social characteristics.
Study results showed that age, level of education, engaging in oral sex, number of visits to the health center and annual examinations were associated with adolescents receiving at least one dose of HPV vaccine (P < .05) Furthermore, girls who had private health insurance had an increased likelihood of completing the HPV vaccine series (OR = 2.3; 95% CI, 1.77-2.78). The researchers said that youth who demonstrated health-seeking behaviors had the most significantly increased odds of obtaining at least one HPV vaccine dose. Annual examinations resulted in substantially higher odds of vaccination for boys (OR = 2.9; 95% CI, 2.33-3.45) and girls (OR = 2.6; 95% CI, 2.26-3.02).
“At whatever type of visit, health providers should think of bundling HPV vaccination into routine or problem visits to increase vaccination opportunities for those in the catch-up age group,” Fontenot said. – by David Costill
Reference:
Fontenot HB, et al. Poster P33. Presented at: Annual Conference on Vaccine Research; April 18-20, 2016; Baltimore.
Disclosure: Fontenot reports no relevant financial disclosures.