Healthcare Provider Recommendations and Observed Changes in HPV Vaccination Acceptance during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare provider (HCP) recommendation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is crucial for HPV vaccination acceptance and uptake. It is unclear to what extent the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the recommendation and acceptance of HPV vaccination. HCPs practicing in Texas were invited to complete an online survey between January and April 2021. This population-based survey examined the association between HPV vaccination recommendation by HCPs and their observed changes in HPV vaccination acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the total 715 HCPs included in this study, 13.9% reported a decrease, 8.7% reported an increase, and 77.5% reported no change in HPV vaccination acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to the HCPs who never/sometimes recommend HPV vaccination, those who often/always recommend HPV vaccination were less likely to observe a decrease (12.3% vs. 22.1%) and more likely to observe an increase in HPV vaccination (9.1% vs. 6.2%), during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, those who provided recommendations often/always had 46% (odds ratio: 0.54; 95%CI: 0.30-0.96) lower odds of reporting a decrease in HPV vaccination acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study adds to prior evidence of the positive influence of provider recommendations on HPV vaccination acceptance despite the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer prevention services.