Support for HPV mandates among female college students: Attitudes about shared responsibility for both females and males

Background. Given public health concern about human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer as well as divergent views on the role of public policy in sexual health, contentious debate surrounds questions about whether to mandate HPV vaccination for American youth. While no nationwide mandate currently exists, the support of HPV mandates among young voters has potential to influence national policy. The purposes of this study were to: (1) identify female college students' support for HPV vaccination mandates for both males and females, and for which age groups; (2) examine factors associated with support for HPV vaccine mandates.

Methods. Data were collected from 1,034 female college students aged 18 to 26 by an internet-delivered questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to understand the association between participants' agreement that approved HPV vaccinations should be mandated for both males and females, and important predictor variables.

Results. Relative to those who did not support HPV vaccine mandates, participants who were non-white (OR=1.58, P=0.043), had sexual intercourse (OR=1.76, P=0.017), and completed the 3-shot HPV vaccination cycle (OR=1.67, P=0.023) were significantly more likely to support that HPV vaccinations should be mandated for both males and females. Participants who supported HPV vaccinations for those ages 9 to 11 (OR=2.68, P=0.019), ages 12 to 17 (OR=7.43, P<0.001), and ages 18 to 26 (OR=9.69, P<0.001) were significantly more likely to support mandated vaccinations for both sexes.

Conclusion. Identifying those who support HPV mandates can help project their potential impact on future support and advocacy for HPV vaccination policy development.