Rural-Urban Differences in Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Young Adults in 8 U.S. States
Menée à l'aide de données 2008 portant sur 2 989 jeunes adultes dans 8 Etats américains (âge : de 18 à 26 ans), cette étude analyse la couverture vaccinale contre le papillomavirus humain en fonction de la zone d'habitation (rurale ou urbaine)
Each year, nearly 44,000 new cancers attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are diagnosed in the U.S., approximately 79% of which could have been prevented by HPV vaccination. HPV vaccination is routinely recommended for all adolescents aged 11–12 years, with catch-up vaccination recommended through age 26 years. For unvaccinated adults aged 27–45 years, a shared clinical decision-making approach to HPV vaccination is recommended. HPV vaccination rates in the U.S. are suboptimal. In 2018, a total of 68.1% of adolescents aged 13–17 years received ≥1 dose of HPV vaccine, and 51.1% completed the series. For young adults aged 18–26 years, uptake is even lower. In 2014–2015, only 26.8% and 15.6% of young adults had initiated and completed the HPV vaccine series, respectively. Moreover, notable disparities in adolescent HPV vaccination by metropolitan statistical areas have been reported, with completion rates being 15 percentage points lower among adolescents living in rural areas than those living in urban areas (40.7% vs 56.1%). Such trends are concerning because the incidence of HPV-related cancers is higher in rural population than in urban population. The purpose of this study is to examine whether such rural–urban disparities in HPV vaccination exist among young adults aged 18–26 years in the U.S.