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OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine if there is a relationship between medical use patterns and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among a previously studied population of Somali and white/non-Hispanic girls in Rochester, MN. MATERIALS AND METHODS With the use of a previously identified group of Somali and white/non-Hispanic girls with known HPV vaccination status, the number, type, and age at provider visits were abstracted. Abstraction was blinded to vaccination status and ethnic designation. χ and Student t tests were performed for descriptive analysis of parametric data. For nonparametric data, Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed. RESULTS Somali girls had fewer provider visits (median = 7, interquartile range [IQR] = 3-12.25) compared with white/non-Hispanic girls (median = 12, IQR = 6-18) (p < .001). Among those who completed the HPV vaccine series, Somali girls had more well-child visits (median = 2, IQR = 1-2) compared with the white/non-Hispanic group (median = 1, IQR = 1-2) (p = .028). There was no difference in the number of emergency department visits or inpatient hospitalization between groups. CONCLUSIONS White/non-Hispanic girls had higher HPV vaccine completion rates and more provider visits. However, this increase in number of encounters is due to an increase in specialty visits. This is unlikely to account for the increase in HPV vaccination completion rates. Community-based research will likely provide greater insight into the cause(s) of reduced vaccine rates among Somali adolescent girls.

Objective It is unknown whether the Somali population in the United States is likely to participate in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. We aimed to determine whether Somali girls living in a US community are following the recommendations for HPV vaccination. Materials and methods We conducted a study of HPV vaccination among Somali girls seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Each Somali subject was matched by year of birth to white/non-Hispanic subjects in a 1:3 ratio. We abstracted information between August 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009, related to HPV vaccine series initiation and completion. Initiation and completion frequencies were compared between study groups using the χ(2) test. Results A total of 251 Somali and 727 white/non-Hispanic girls were identified, using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, who met all inclusion criteria for final analysis. A total of 114 Somali girls (45%) and 334 white/non-Hispanic girls (46%) initiated the series (odds ratio = 0.98; 95% confidence interval = 0.73-1.31), but only 59 Somali girls (52%) completed the vaccination series, compared with 240 (72%) of the white/non-Hispanic girls (odds ratio = 0.42; 95% confidence interval = 0.27-0.65). Conclusions We found Somali girls to be generally accepting of initiating the HPV vaccine series but less likely to complete the series as compared with white non-Hispanic girls of the same age.