Factors Associated with HPV Vaccine Completion Among Hispanic Girls
Section snippets
Purpose
Despite recommendations of three Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine shots for all adolescent girls, only 35% achieve completion. Among initiators, rates of completion are lower for Hispanic. This study describes factors associated with completion of the HPV vaccine series among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White girls who initiated the series.
Methods
A secondary data analysis was performed of the cross-sectional 2012 National Immunization Survey - Teen for 4,710 girls (1,015 Hispanics, 3,695 non-Hispanic Whites) ages 13 to 17 that had at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. All analyses incorporated weights and took into account the clustered complex sample design. A logistic regression model was used to examine the independent effects of race/ethnicity on HPV vaccine series completion.
Results
Despite similar initiation rates, Hispanic girls who had initiated the series were less likely to complete the series than non-Hispanic whites (60.0% vs. 69.4%). After accounting for age at HPV series initiation, mother's education, and home ownership, disparities in completion rates were not statistically significant. Age at interview and age at HPV series initiation were associated with completion for Hispanics. Continuous health insurance since 11 years of age, age at HPV series initiation,
Conclusions
This study confirms previous findings that Hispanic adolescent girls have lower overall completion rates of the HPV vaccine series than non-Hispanic Whites among initiators. Differences in completion rates could be addressed by early initiation of the HPV vaccine series.