The Male Factor: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV4 Vaccine Acceptance Among African American Young Men

Abstract

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections (STD) in the United States. In the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionality affected by STDs. In 2009 the Food and Drug Administration approved the HPV4 vaccine for young men. It is necessary to understand African American young men's HPV knowledge, health beliefs, and perceived risk in relation to HPV4 vaccine acceptance. To date, there remains paucity in the literature regarding African American young men's HPV knowledge and HPV4 vaccine acceptance. The current study was a non-probability convenience sample of 68 African American college students. This study was part of a larger project of HPV4 vaccine acceptance. Participants completed a 68-item questionnaire about personal characteristics, HPV, and the HPV4 vaccine. A majority of the young men had heard about HPV (85%, n = 58), however, only 38% (n = 26) new about the HPV4 vaccine for women. Only 12.2% (n = 9) of the respondents knew of an HPV4 vaccine for men. The top three barriers to HPV4 vaccination were that insurance would not cover the vaccine; they would have to pay a lot for the vaccine and worrying that the vaccine is not safe. Study findings suggest that HPV and HPV4 education programs, and low or no cost HPV4 vaccinations for African American young men are needed.