HPV vaccine awareness and the association of trust in cancer information from physicians among males

Publication date: Available online 7 April 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Dexter L. Cooper, Natalie D. Hernandez, Latrice Rollins, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Calvin McAllister
IntroductionBlack and Hispanic men are diagnosed with more HPV-related cancers and at later stages compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Physician communication with men about HPV vaccination may be beneficial to increasing HPV vaccinations and decreasing HPV transmission. The purpose of this study was to examine HPV and HPV vaccine awareness among men by race, and the association between trust in cancer information from physicians and ever hearing about HPV and the HPV vaccine.MethodsU.S. adult males (age 18+) were identified from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) (n=1203). Binomial logistic regression models assessed the influences of race/ethnicity and trust of cancer information from physicians on men having heard of HPV and the HPV vaccination.ResultsApproximately 50% of the sample had never heard of HPV and 53% had never heard of the vaccine. Black men were less likely to know that HPV is sexually transmitted compared to White and Hispanic men (p<0.001). Hispanic and Black men were less likely to have heard about the HPV vaccine when compared to White men (p<0.001). Additionally, Hispanic men were less likely to trust a doctor about cancer information compared to White and Black men (p<0.001).ConclusionFindings highlight the lack of awareness about HPV among men. Furthermore, statistically significant racial/ethnic differences were found in HPV vaccine knowledge and trust in receiving cancer information from physicians. Future interventions should include community-based approaches and improved physicians' HPV-related communication to increase knowledge and uptake of the HPV vaccine.



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