HPV Vaccine Initiation and Completion Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Adults, United States, 2014.

Abstract

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults bear a disproportionate burden of certain human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers. In 2015, data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) showed vaccination coverage among adults by racial and ethnic groups; however, coverage data for NHPI adults were unavailable. In this study, we estimated the initiation and completion of HPV vaccination and assessed the factors associated with vaccination among NHPI adults aged 18 to 26 years in the United States. We analyzed public data files from the 2014 NHPI NHIS (n = 1204). We specified sampling design parameters and fitted weighted logistic regression models to calculate the odds of HPV vaccine initiation. We developed a directed acyclic graph to identify a minimally sufficient set for adjustment and adjusted for insurance coverage (for education and ethnicity) and doctor visit (for insurance coverage, earnings, ethnicity, and sex). Overall, 24.9% and 11.5% of NHPI adults had initiated and completed the HPV vaccination series, respectively. Weighted logistic regression models elucidated that the odds of HPV vaccine initiation were higher for females (weighted odds ratio = 5.4; 95% confidence interval = 2.8-10.4) compared with males. Low vaccination coverage found among NHPI adults provides an opportunity for targeted programs to reduce the burden of HPV-associated cancers.