Abstract A163: Factors associated with human papillomavirus vaccination uptake among a clinic-based sample in Puerto Rico
Authors: Ramos-Cartagena Jeslie M. , Tirado Maribel , Matos Miriam , Méndez Keimari , Torres-Russe José , Pisiellos-Echevarria Gabriela , Muñoz Cristina , Del Valle Karen , Guiot Humberto M. , Ortiz Ana Patricia 
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can protect against several cancers such as anal, cervical, vulvar, vagina, penis, and oropharyngeal. HPV vaccination is recommended for individuals, regardless of sex-at-birth, aged 9 through 26 years old. In addition, patient-physician clinical decision-making is recommended for individuals up to the age of 45. HPV vaccination can protect against the most common HPV genotypes that cause cancer and is the only preventive strategy for HPV infection. Therefore, this study aims to assess factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake among patients from the Anal Neoplasia Clinic of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (ANC-UPRCCC). Methods: Data from baseline visit of individuals aged ≥18 years of age who received services at the ANC- UPRCCC were used for this analysis (N=1,170). During this visit, all patients completed a questionnaire given by the clinic physicians, which collects information on sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics. HPV vaccination uptake was defined as having ≥1doses. Pearson chi-square and generalized regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake. Results: Most participants were men (66.9%), aged ≥46 years old (50.7%), and people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) (72.0%). Although HPV vaccine uptake was 15.7%, only 8% of participants reported vaccine completion (3 doses). Higher uptake was seen among younger people, men who have sex with men, people with a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), people without HIV, and people with anal pap uptake history (p&lt;0.05). Given that a statistically significant interaction with age was observed, logistic regression models were stratified by age. On multivariable analysis, we observed higher odds of HPV vaccine uptake among persons with a history of STIs aged 27-45 (OR27-45:1.12, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.26) and ≥46 years (OR≥46:1.06, 95% CI: 1.01,1.11) in comparison to those without a history of STIs. Higher HPV vaccine uptake was also observed among people aged ≥46 with anal pap uptake history (OR≥46:1.09, 95% CI:1.01-1.19) in comparison to their counterparts. PLWH had lower odds of HPV vaccine uptake than people without HIV across all age groups (OR18-26:0.73, 95% CI:0.57-0.93; OR27-45:0.77, 95% CI:0.71-0.83; OR≥46:0.93, 95% CI:0.89-0.98). Conclusions: Despite their increased high-risk for HPV-related cancers, our results showed lower HPV vaccination uptake for PLWH across all age groups. This is concerning and highlights the importance of including educational materials about the HPV vaccine during consultation with healthcare providers, especially among individuals at high-risk for HPV-related cancers, such as PLWH.

Citation Format: Jeslie M. Ramos-Cartagena, Maribel Tirado, Miriam Matos, Keimari Méndez, José Torres-Russe, Gabriela Pisiellos-Echevarria, Cristina Muñoz, Karen Del Valle, Humberto M. Guiot, Ana Patricia Ortiz. Factors associated with human papillomavirus vaccination uptake among a clinic-based sample in Puerto Rico [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A163.