Contributing factors for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptance among African American young adults

Abstract

There is an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. Populations most affected by STDs are young adults, particularly those living in a high risk environment such as a college or university. African American's are disproportionately at risk for STD's. One of the most prevalent STD's on college campuses today is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Genital HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which is primarily known for causing genital warts and cervical cancer. In 2007, the first vaccine to prevent HPV was approved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributing factors for HPV vaccine acceptance among African American young adults. The Health Belief Model (HBM) served as the theoretical framework to guide this study. Findings revealed that among African American young adults, perceived susceptibility to HPV, perceived benefits of HPV and perceived barriers to HPV vaccination were found to be significant factors for HPV vaccination intention. Findings further reveal a significant difference in knowledge of HPV between men and women, with women showing higher knowledge scores. Additionally, African American young adults with higher traditional masculinity ideology were less likely to accept the HPV vaccine. Findings add to the current state of the science regarding HPV knowledge and contributing factors for HPV vaccine acceptance among African American young adults.