Abstract
Introduction: This year, an estimated 27,000 individuals in the United States will be diagnosed with an HPV-attributable cancer (i.e., cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, or anal) that causes pain, suffering, and death. Hispanic women are disproportionately affected by cervical cancer, with rates that are nearly 40% higher than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. This study examines the association between the level of acculturation and social determinants of health with obtaining an HPV vaccine among young U.S. Hispanic women. Methods: This study conducted secondary data analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2009 – 2010. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) that included demographics, language spoken in the home, insurance status, and social support factors was conducted to determine the relationship of these variables. Additionally, logistic regression was employed to identify the factors that predict HPV vaccine status. Results: Among the sample of 2,835 Hispanic women, only 401 (14.1%) reported obtaining the vaccine. The results of this study indicated that as young women moved toward acculturation, their odds of obtaining the HPV vaccine increased slightly (1.37 times). Furthermore, as access to health insurance increased, rates of obtaining the HPV vaccine increased. Among the moderation models tested, as education among the acculturated group increased, the probability of being vaccinated increased. Yet this did not hold true among the non-acculturated group—as education went up, the probability of vaccination only slightly increased. Conclusions: Future efforts to increase utilization of the HPV vaccine should focus on less acculturated young women while utilizing culturally conscious strategies tailored to not only raise awareness surrounding the HPV vaccine, but to move women to obtain the vaccine.
Keywords: HPV vaccine, acculturation, cervical cancer
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