Understanding HPV vaccine knowledge and uptake among low-income Chinese and Korean populations

Background: Asian & Pacific Islander (API) sub-groups experience higher rates of cervical cancer and lower rates of Pap testing compared to non-Latino whites. Wide spread adoption of the HPV vaccine can reduce the disproportionate burden of cervical cancer among APIs in the future. Objective: This analysis aims to understand HPV vaccine knowledge among API mothers and identify HPV vaccination rates among daughters. Methods: We conducted telephone interviews with mothers of vaccine-eligible girls (ages 9-18) who were callers of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Office of Women's Health Hotline. Results: Eighty-nine Chinese and 65 Korean mothers participated in the study. The majority were low-income, foreign-born, and uninsured. Over 34% of Chinese mothers and 54% of Korean mothers had never heard of HPV. Similar proportions had never heard of the HPV vaccine. Nearly half of mothers (Chinese: 42%, Korean: 46%) who had heard of HPV did not know HPV causes cervical cancer. Mothers in both groups perceived their daughters at low risk for HPV. Twenty-six percent of Chinese daughters and 23% of Korean daughters received ≥1 dose of the HPV vaccine. Multivariate analyses indicate mothers who believe the vaccine is very effective and those with older daughters were more likely to have a vaccinated daughter. Conclusion: HPV vaccine uptake among Chinese and Korean girls is lower than national rates (37%). Lack of knowledge and limited access to vaccines may prevent API girls from receiving the HPV vaccine, reducing the vaccine's potential to substantially reduce cervical cancer among these groups.