Predictors of HPV vaccination in gay and bisexual college men

Background: Humanpapilloma virus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease/infection (STD/STI), leading to cervical and anal cancers. Annually, 6.2 million people are newly diagnosed with HPV and 20 million currently are diagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 51.1% of men carry multiple strains of HPV. Gay and bisexual men have been found to benefit the most from the vaccine due to their higher susceptibility towards HPV infections. Recently, HPV vaccine was approved for use in boys and men to help reduce the numbers of HPV cases. The purpose of this study was to use health belief model (HBM) to predict acceptance of HPV vaccine in gay and bisexual college men. Methods: The study uses a cross sectional design with 197 gay and bisexual undergraduate students at a large Midwestern public University (alpha 0.05, power 0.80, and population correlation coefficient of 0.20)). A valid and reliable scale that measures perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy from the health belief model has been used. Multiple regression modeling was done to ascertain relationships between HBM predictors and acceptability of the vaccine in gay men. Results: HBM is a robust model to predict HPV vaccine acceptability in gay and bisexual college men. Self-efficacy, cues to action, and perceived susceptibility were found to contribute to vaccine acceptance in gay and bisexual college men taking the HPV vaccine. Conclusions: Health education interventions can be designed based on HBM to enhance acceptability of HPV vaccine in gay and bisexual college men. Recommendations for future research are discussed.