HPV Vaccine Misperceptions Among Hispanics/Latinos in Southern California

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Cervical and other vaccine-preventable cancers linked to HPV disproportionately affect Hispanic/Latino populations in the U.S.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake may be influenced by community beliefs regarding common vaccine misperceptions.
• The extent to which Hispanic/Latinos agree with HPV vaccine misperceptions compared to non-Hispanic whites is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between identifying as Hispanic/Latino and agreement with HPV vaccine misperceptions.
• To compare HPV vaccine misperception scores between Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic white populations in the U.S. Southwest.

Main Methods:

• A population health assessment survey was mailed to households in the southwestern U.S.
• A 12-item Likert scale was used to assess HPV vaccine misperceptions.
• Linear regression models analyzed the relationship between Hispanic/Latino ethnicity and summed misperception scores.

Main Results:

• The study included 407 participants: 111 (27.3%) Hispanic/Latino and 296 (72.7%) non-Hispanic white.
• Hispanic/Latinos exhibited a significantly higher average HPV vaccine misperception sum score (3.03 points higher) than non-Hispanic whites (95% CI: 1.16-4.88; p < 0.01).
• This indicates greater agreement with HPV vaccine misperceptions among the Hispanic/Latino group.

Conclusions:

• Hispanic/Latinos demonstrate a higher level of agreement with common HPV vaccine misperceptions compared to non-Hispanic whites.
• Culturally relevant interventions are necessary to address these misperceptions.
• Such interventions are vital for achieving health equity in HPV-associated cancer prevention for the Hispanic/Latino community.