No change in physician discussions with patients about the HPV vaccine between 2007 and 2013

Introduction: In 2006, the HPV vaccine was approved in preventing oncogenic strains of the virus. Predictors of uptake of HPV vaccine include physicians’ conversations with patients and patients’ race. Racial disparities have been observed in HPV vaccine uptake; minority populations are less likely to complete vaccination. We analyzed the proportions of discussions between physicians and their patients about the vaccine in 2007 and 2013 for both racial differences and changes over time.

Methods: Using the Health Information National Trends Survey dataset, a chi-square analysis compared provider discussions of the HPV vaccine with patients stratified by race for each year. A logistic regression generated odds ratios for the two years and a z-test compared the odds ratios.

Results: When comparing the proportions of conversations between physicians and patients, there were no significant differences based on race in 2007 (χ²=1.94, p=0.16) or 2013 (χ²=0.23, p=0.64). In 2007, physicians were more than 2.5 times likely to discuss the HPV vaccine with their white patients than African-American patients (OR=2.77; 95%CI: 0.63, 12.10); however, these results were statistically insignificant. In 2013, physicians were 1.24 times more likely to discuss the vaccine with white over African-American patients, but the results were still insignificant. We found that the two years were not significantly different from each other (p=0.45).

Conclusion: Despite it being almost a decade since the HPV vaccine was approved, there has not been a statistically significant change in the amount of conversations physicians have with their patients about the vaccine, particularly among racial minorities.