Barriers to Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities: a Systematic Review

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with poor health outcomes, including cervical cancer. Racial/ethnic minority populations experience poor health outcomes associated with HPV at higher rates. A vaccine is available to protect against HPV infections and prevent HPV-related sequelae; however, vaccination rates have remained low in the United States (U.S.) population. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase the HPV vaccination rate. Moreover, little is known about barriers to HPV vaccination in racial/ethnic minority groups. This paper highlights the most recent findings on barriers experienced by these groups. Methods The PubMed database was searched on July 30, 2020, for peer-reviewed articles and abstracts that had been published in English from July 2010 to July 2020 and covered racial/ethnic disparities in HPV vaccination. Results Similar findings were observed among the articles reviewed. The low HPV vaccination initiation and completion rates among racial/ethnic minority populations were found to be associated with lack of provider recommendations, inadequate knowledge and awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination, medical mistrust, and safety concerns. Conclusions Provider recommendations and accurate distribution of information must be increased and targeted to racial/ethnic minority populations in order to bolster the rate of vaccine uptake. To effectively target these communities, multi-level interventions need to be established. Further, research to understand the barriers that may affect unvaccinated adults in the catch-up age range, including males, may be beneficial, as majority of the previous studies focused on either parents of adolescents or women.

Automated summary

Research has found that low HPV vaccination rates among racial/ethnic minority populations are associated with lack of provider recommendations, inadequate knowledge and awareness of HPV and the vaccine, medical mistrust, and safety concerns. To increase vaccination rates, targeted interventions and accurate information distribution to these populations are essential. Further research on barriers surrounding unvaccinated adults in catch-up age groups, including males, is necessary to address gaps in previous studies focusing on parents of adolescents or women.