Swiecki-Sikora, Allison, Harris, Adina, Lauder, Abigail, Deng, Mengying, Tagai, Erin, Jeronis, Stacey, Houck, Karen, Miller, Suzanne, and Hernandez, Enrique
Objectives: To examine the perception and beliefs of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine amongst those with and without a history of cervical dysplasia and to examine perceptions of the HPV vaccine for their children. Methods: Patients in a large urban academic hospital visiting two gynecology clinics were recruited to complete a paper survey assessing opinions and knowledge about the HPV vaccine for both themselves and their children. Patients in colposcopy clinic who had a history of abnormal Pap smears and patients in a benign gynecology clinic without a history of abnormal pap smears were offered the survey and consented. Eligible participants were those over the age of 21, English-speaking, non-pregnant and non-incarcerated. Participants' medical records were reviewed to document HPV vaccine status, pap smear, and biopsy results. Demographics and survey answers were described, and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the two populations. This study is IRB-approved. Results: A total of 157 patients participated: 59 patients in colposcopy clinic and 98 patients from benign gynecology clinic. The mean age of participants across both clinics was 36.5 years. The majority of patients self-identified as Black (74.6% colposcopy, 68.4% benign), and a sizeable minority made less than $20,000 a year (47.5% colposcopy, 26.5% benign). Overall, differences in opinions and knowledge about the HPV vaccine for themselves or their children were not statistically significant between the two clinic populations. The majority of respondents in both clinics reported either not having received or being unsure of HPV vaccine receipt (81.4% colposcopy, 71.4% benign, p = 0.126). In benign clinic, more patients agreed the HPV vaccine was a good way to protect oneself from disease (37.3% colposcopy, 46.9% benign, p = 0.083), stating they generally follow their doctor's recommendation regarding vaccination (39.0% colposcopy, 45.9% benign, p = 0.97). However, most respondents in both clinics were not sure about the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, if it carries more risk compared to other vaccines, or if the information they received about the vaccine is reliable. Nearly three-fourths of colposcopy and benign clinic respondents were parents, and the majority have or planned to vaccinate their children against HPV (60.6% colposcopy, 56.1% benign, p = 0.83). Most parents in both clinics felt the HPV vaccine was important for their child's health (35.7% colposcopy, 49.2% benign, p = 0.42), and follow their doctor's recommendations about vaccination (33.4% colposcopy, 44.9% benign, p = 0.16). A large proportion of subjects in both clinics were likely to vaccinate their children against HPV, and this increases when a doctor recommends the vaccine (45% and 52% in colposcopy, respectively; 52% and 60.9% in benign, respectively). However, the majority were unsure/had no opinion on if the HPV vaccine was effective at preventing disease in their children or if the HPV vaccine is a good way to protect their children. Conclusions: Our survey examined opinions and attitudes on the HPV vaccine in a majority Black, low-income clinic. There was no statistically significant difference in opinions between those who had a history of cervical dysplasia and those who had normal pap smear history, suggesting that those who have experienced the effects of HPV are no more likely to feel strongly in favor of the vaccine for themselves or their children. Our results indicate that patients, regardless of pap smear history, would benefit from more education on the HPV vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]