THURSDAY, May 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Self-reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates for young adults, whether for receipt of a dose at any age or between ages 18 and 21 years, are low, although they increased from 2010 to 2018, according to a research letter published in the April 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Michelle M. Chen, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used data from the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey to assess HPV vaccination rates in young adults (aged 18 to 21 years; 6,606 women and 6,038 men).
The researchers found in a weighted analysis that 42 percent of women and 16 percent of men received at least one dose of HPV vaccine at any age. The percentage of women vaccinated increased from 32 percent in 2010 to 55 percent by 2018, while the increase went from 2 to 34 percent among men during the same time period. Only 4 percent of surveyed women received their first HPV vaccination between ages 18 and 21 years; this value was 3 percent among men. Of those initiating HPV vaccination between 18 and 21 years, 46 percent of women and 29 percent of men completed the vaccination series.
“Possible strategies to improve vaccination uptake and completion among young adults include leveraging university or community vaccination campaigns, especially targeting males, identification of the need for HPV vaccination at the time of influenza vaccination, elimination of cost barriers, and improved education of adult primary care clinicians regarding the risk of HPV-associated cancers,” the authors write.
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