Healthcare Provider Role in HPV Vaccination among Sexual Minority Men

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts and anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancer. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at particular risk for HPV and HPV-related cancers. The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is recommended for MSM through age 26, but few are vaccinated. Previous research suggests the greatest predictor for vaccination is recommendation from a healthcare provider. However, research also suggests disparities in quality of healthcare received by sexual minorities. This poster will explore attitudes of MSM toward healthcare providers and the role of providers in the HPV vaccination of MSM. Design: Txt2Protect is a project that aims to develop and pilot test a text messaging intervention to increase HPV vaccination in young MSM. To inform message development, 143 MSM, ages 18 – 26 and living in Chicago, were recruited from Facebook to complete an online survey. Participants self-reported demographics and HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, and experiences. Key Findings: Overall, 35.2% of participants agreed they felt uncomfortable discussing their sexual orientation or behaviors with healthcare providers. Only 9.8% agreed that they received lower quality care, however there were significant racial differences with 15.7% of non-White participants agreeing with this statement versus 4.1% of White participants. When controlling for other significant correlates, participants to whom healthcare providers recommended the vaccination were 68 times more likely to be vaccinated than those without a recommendation (p < 0.001). Implications for Research and Practice: Recommendation from healthcare providers is the strongest predictor for vaccine uptake. In order to have the conversations necessary to encourage vaccination, healthcare providers should receive training to help reduce discomfort and disparity in quality of care that sexual minority patients report experiencing.