HPV vaccination trends and barriers in the 2007-2010 national survey of family growth (NSFG)

Despite widespread availability of the HPV vaccine, studies indicate that vaccine uptake is sub-optimal.Identifying trends in vaccination uptake could indicate whether public health efforts regarding HPV vaccination uptake have been successful, or if additional efforts are needed.This study was a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study of approximately 8,000 females who completed HPV questions in the 2007-2010 NSFG.The subjects were age 15-26 or 15-44 answering HPV-related questions for their 9-18 year old daughters.Subjects who never heard of HPV vaccine were excluded.Information regarding HPV vaccination awareness, intent to vaccinate and reasons for not vaccinating were gathered from the NSFG datasets. Chi-square tests were conducted to assess if statistically significant association existed between predictor variables and vaccination. Any variables with a chi-square test p-value <0.2 were included in a multivariate logistic regression model to jointly assess the predictive capability of independent variables on HPV vaccination.There was an increase in vaccination among women in 2008-2010 compared to 2007-2008. Factors significantly associated with vaccination among women age 15-26 in the NSFG were age, race, marital status and insurance coverage. Among women age 15-44, condom use, mother's age, and marital status were personal factors about the mothers that were significantly associated with their daughters receiving vaccination.The study showed an increase in the uptake of HPV vaccination in recent years (2008-2010) however the percentage of women getting vaccinated as reported in the NSFG is still low.Factors such as age, race, marital status and insurance coverage were associated with HPV vaccination, indicating potential targets for future public health efforts.