HPV vaccine coverage across Hispanic/Latinx subgroups in the United States

Research on HPV vaccine coverage in the United States has typically aggregated Hispanic/Latinx individuals into a single group for analyses, an approach that has potentially masked variation between Hispanic/Latinx subgroups. To address this limitation, we examined HPV vaccine coverage across Hispanic/Latinx subgroups.

We analyzed data on Hispanic/Latinx adolescents ages 13-17 (n = 16,335) from the 2012-2016 National Immunization Survey-Teen. Each adolescent was categorized into a subgroup: Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Central American, South American, other Spanish origin, or multi-subgroup. We examined HPV vaccine initiation (receipt of one or more doses) and completion (receipt of three doses) for males and females separately. Analyses used weighted logistic regression.

Vaccine coverage among males was highest among Central Americans (initiation: 57.5%; completion: 31.1%) and lowest among multi-subgroup males (initiation: 46.3%; completion: 19.9%). Among females, initiation ranged from 63.4% among Cubans to 71.2% among Puerto Ricans, and completion ranged from 33.6% among multi-subgroup females to 48.7% among South Americans. Hispanic/Latinx subgroups were similar on these outcomes in regression models. However, within several subgroups, vaccine coverage was higher among adolescents whose parents' preferred language was Spanish (i.e., potentially less acculturated) compared to those whose parents' preferred language was English.

Modest variation in HPV vaccine coverage exists across Hispanic/Latinx subgroups, with differences found by preferred language within several subgroups. Findings provide insight into HPV vaccine coverage among Hispanic/Latinx subgroups and can help guide future surveillance efforts and vaccination interventions.