Objective: An effective human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine must be accepted by young persons in order to achieve its full public health benefits. This study examines the intention to receive an HPV vaccine among college age men and women.
Methods Summary: 340 university students, 138 men and 202 women, ages 18 to 32 (mean age of 20.8) completed self-administered questionnaires. Intention was measured by asking participants how likely they would be to accept an HPV vaccine that prevented 1) all HPV, 2), cervical cancer but not genital warts, 3), warts but not cancer, or 4) both warts and cancer
Results: Both men and women reported high intent to receive an HPV vaccine, though women significantly more so, 77.5% and 88.6% respectively (p < .01). Men were less willing to receive a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in women (men can transmit HPV to their sexual partners) compared to one that prevents cervical cancer and genital warts (34.1% vs.77.5%, p < .001). Intent to receive the HPV vaccine was significantly greater among participants having more than five partners compared to those having no partners (OR = 4.4; 95% CI = 1.4, 14.4). Intent was also significantly greater among those answering two or three HPV knowledge questions correctly compared to those getting none or only one question correct (OR = 3.6; 95% CI = 1.3, 9.9).
Conclusions: A great majority of university students in this study were willing to receive the vaccine. Interest varied according to sexual history and knowledge about HPV, and in men, according to whether the vaccine targeted genital warts.
Public Health Significance: An effective HPV vaccine, and one that is accepted, could have enormous public health benefits as vaccinations are one of the most successful public health approaches to preventing and controlling many infectious diseases.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-03272007-223637 |
| Date | 28 June 2007 |
| Creators | Jones, Melissa Ann |
| Contributors | Robert Cook, MD, MPH, Rodger Beatty, PhD, LSW, James Butler, MEd, DrPH, Martha Ann Terry, PhD |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-03272007-223637/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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