In recent years, awareness about the connection between the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and various cancers has seen little improvement among Americans. A study conducted between 2018 and 2020 highlighted this concerning trend. Researchers found that despite the expansion of HPV vaccine eligibility to adults aged 27 to 45 in 2018, awareness of HPV's link to cancers increased marginally from 27% to only 29.5%. Additionally, awareness of the HPV vaccine itself decreased during this period from 75% to 70.2%, indicating a critical gap in public health communication.
The study analyzed data from a significant cohort of 26,470 adults aged 30 to 44 who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) program over four years, stretching from 2018 to 2022. This analysis aimed to assess Americans' knowledge of HPV following the vaccine's eligibility expansion and used the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) as a basis for evaluation. The findings reveal that education is vital for increasing HPV awareness, as emphasized by Dr. Kwon, one of the researchers involved in the study.
Public health campaigns have successfully communicated HPV's role in causing cervical cancer. However, these efforts have not adequately addressed the virus's potential to cause other malignancies, such as throat cancer—a fact that remains unknown to a majority of Americans. Geoffrey Young, MD, a head and neck surgical oncologist at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute, remarked on this issue:
“A lot of HPV-related diseases carry a little bit of shame, and they shouldn’t,” – Geoffrey Young, MD, a head and neck surgical oncologist at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not formally recommend vaccination for those aged 27 to 45 but advises individuals in this age group to make informed decisions about vaccination. Despite this advisory note, only 6.5% of participants reported being fully vaccinated against HPV, and merely 15.8% reported any vaccination status. It's worth noting that more than 42 million Americans currently have types of the virus that can cause cancer, with HPV affecting approximately 13 million Americans annually.
The factors contributing to a higher likelihood of vaccination include younger age, female sex, residence in the West or Northeast regions of the U.S., higher educational attainment, unmarried status, having a personal healthcare provider, and identifying as gay or lesbian. These disparities highlight the necessity for targeted public health initiatives aimed at increasing vaccination rates across diverse demographics.
Dr. Young elaborated on the challenges faced by head and neck cancer awareness:
“Head and neck cancer is a little bit of an ugly stepchild of cancers,” – Geoffrey Young, MD, a head and neck surgical oncologist at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute.
The lack of awareness about HPV-related cancers is a significant barrier preventing eligible adults in the U.S. from receiving the HPV vaccine. Dr. Young further commented:
“Lots of cancers get press and funding, but we don’t really see it for head and neck cancer because, traditionally, these are the cancers of the poor and the disenfranchised.” – Geoffrey Young, MD.
Dr. Kwon emphasized the importance of advocacy in addressing this gap in awareness:
“and this is where advocacy by public health [workers] and clinicians is important.” – Kwon.
Leave a Reply