(247) Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on HPV Vaccine Perceptions and Hesitancy

Monday, October 2, 2023

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time

Presenting Author(s)

Natalie Schelbar

medical student
University of Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
CW

Christina N. Ward, MD, MS

Resident Physician
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Co-Author(s)

CW

Christina N. Ward, MD, MS

Resident Physician
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
MH

Michael J. Herr, PhD

Professor of Anatomy
University of Tennessee College of Medicine Department of Anatomy, USA
SA

Sarah Acevedo, MD

University of Virginia, USA
Allen Greiner, MD, MPH

Professor
University of Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
EC

Erin Corriveau, MD, MPH

Associate Professor
University of Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, United States

Senior Author(s)

RS

Rosemary Stocks, MD, PharmD

Program Director, Professor
University of Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Disclosure(s):

Natalie Schelbar: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Christina N. Ward, MD, MS: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Allen Greiner, MD, MPH: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Rosemary Stocks, MD, PharmD: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic re-ignited global discussion of vaccine safety and efficacy, which provided opportunities to re-evaluate HPV vaccine perceptions in the communities we serve. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine perceptions on HPV vaccine hesitancy in Wyandotte County (WyCo), a low socioeconomic county in Kansas.

Methods: This was a survey-based cross-sectional study consisting of 37 questions to gather data on HPV vaccine perceptions and trends throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys were distributed to 13,405 individuals aged 30-58 years old in the WyCo Health Department electronic medical record. Inclusion criteria included parents of children aged 13 to 17 who speak English or Spanish. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were utilized.

Results: Of the 185 survey responses, 84 were excluded because they did not have children. Of the remaining 101 participants, there was no difference when comparing those fully vaccinated versus not vaccinated for both COVID-19 and HPV (p=0.0975). The majority of children had completed both HPV and COVID-19 vaccine series (57 and 87, respectively). Most participants indicated their opinion on the HPV vaccine had not changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic (71.3%) and they felt safe taking their child to healthcare settings during the pandemic (65.3%). Participants who felt familiar with HPV had higher rates of HPV vaccine completion. While 77% of participants felt they were extremely or moderately familiar with HPV, 61.4% were unaware of its association with oropharyngeal cancer.

Conclusions: Although multiple studies have shown decreased rates of vaccination during the pandemic, results of this study indicate minimal change in parents’ perception of the HPV vaccine. Future research should investigate other causes for decreased HPV vaccine rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, patient education should address the knowledge gap discovered regarding the link between HPV and oropharyngeal cancer.