Oral HPV prevalence and HPV vaccination among special needs population in the US

Special needs population have barriers accessing healthcare, higher incidence of sexual assaults and lower sexual education. Due to the above this study was conducted- 1) To assess the current prevalence of oral HPV infection among individuals with SHCN (special health care needs) as compared to the general population and 2) To compare the prevalence of HPV vaccination in SHCN individuals (within the recommended age groups) to general population.

This data was obtained from NHANES 2013-14 and included 665 individuals with special needs. Weighted prevalence estimates and prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated for oral HPV infection by gender, age (18-59 years), race, smoking history, economic status, and sexual behavior. Prevalence rates were calculated for HPV vaccination.

Oral HPV was detected in 9% (7.1-11.5; p = 0.05) of special needs adults. High-risk HPV genotypes prevalence was also higher among adults with special needs [5.56% (3.9-7.9) vs 3.87% (2.7-5.4)]. The HPV vaccination rates among 9-26 years special needs females (33.5% vs 37%) and males aged 9-21 years (16.7% vs 21.2%) with special needs was lower than non-special needs individuals.

There is higher burden of oral HPV infection among adults with special needs compared to general population. Contrastingly, lower vaccination rates were observed among them within the recommended age groups. Further studies are required to determine the barriers to HPV vaccination among individuals with special needs.