ASPO Abstracts
Investigating disparities between HPV and other adolescent vaccines: Preliminary findings from provider surveys in selected rural counties in a rural Midwestern state
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine provider perceptions of the HPV vaccine and recommendation behaviors in rural counties with lower than state average HPV vaccination coverage. Methods: Using immunization registry data, we identified seven rural counties with Tdap and meningitis vaccination rates at the state average and lower than state average HPV vaccination rates. We mailed 125 primary care providers practicing in those counties a survey with a $20 incentive. The survey collected demographics, recommendation behavior, perceived importance of the vaccine, knowledge and attitudes, and efforts to increase vaccine coverage. Results: We received surveys from 84 (67.7%) providers. Respondent credentials were split between MD (21.4%), DO (20.2%), PA (22.6%), and ARNP (29.8%). Less than half (44.0%) have no order preference when recommending adolescent vaccines. Of the 46.4% who did have a preference, 25.0% recommend Tdap first and 39.3% recommend HPV last. Compared with other adolescent vaccines, 77.4% reported that HPV is equally important and 14.3% view it as slightly less important. The majority of providers advise their patients that the HPV vaccine is very (45.2%) or extremely important (23.8%). When discussing the vaccine with patients, the majority of providers focus on its ability to prevent cervical cancer (95.2%) and fewer mention the prevention of genital warts (71.4%) and other cancers (67.9%). While 67.9% of providers recommend the HPV vaccine at patients' current visit, 21.4% offer a choice about when to get it. Providers believe that more effort (69.0%) should focus on increasing HPV vaccination rates in their county. However, they reported low personal effort to do so both with their colleagues (26.2%) and in their communities (3.6%). Conclusions: The majority of providers tell their patients the HPV vaccine is important and recommend they get it at their current visit. While the majority of providers believed more effort was needed to increase HPV vaccination in their counties, few reported activities during the previous month. These results highlight the need to help providers improve HPV vaccine recommendations and encourage engagement of colleagues and community members to increase HPV vaccination rates.
Keywords: HPV vaccinationruraladolescent