Deconstructing the Feminization of HPV: Why HPV should Matter to Men

Background: HPV's role in cervical cancer is well-established; studies of the HPV vaccine's effectiveness against oncogenic HPV infection resulted in the first FDA-approved HPV vaccine for females ages 9-26 in 2006. Subsequent research provided the rationale for approval for males in 2009, but the delay between approval for females and males, and the targeted vaccine awareness campaigns resulted in the virus being viewed as a female-only issue. Methods: Four psychosocial studies of HPV in men assessed HPV awareness, knowledge and perceived susceptibility. Men enrolled in an HPV natural-history study where repeated HPV messages were received completed post-diagnosis surveys. Three additional studies recruited men in undergraduate college courses (College Study), MSM men (MSM Study), and minority men attending a university (Minority Study). Knowledge scores summed the number of correct responses to true/false items; awareness and perceived susceptibility were scored as agree/disagree items. Results: HPV natural-history study participants had high HPV knowledge (79% correct) compared to the MSM Study (64%), Minority Study (59%), and College Study (48%). Overall, perceived susceptibility of HPV and HPV-related disease was low among men in these studies, ranging from less than half in the HPV study reporting that they were concerned about getting genital warts, to 80% of Minority Study participants reporting that they were low-risk for acquiring HPV. Conclusions: Men may not think that HPV concerns them, or that they are susceptible. HPV plays a significant role in cancers and diseases that impact males directly, but awareness and positive vaccine intention in males remains problematic.