Many adults lack consciousness about HPV, vaccine
September 04, 2025
3 min learn
Key takeaways:
- A considerable variety of adults have no idea about HPV or the HPV vaccine.
- Most adults could lack consciousness that HPV causes oral most cancers, not simply cervical most cancers.
Roughly a 3rd of adults within the U.S. could lack consciousness of HPV and the HPV vaccine.
A cross-sectional evaluation additionally confirmed greater than 70% could not know HPV causes oral most cancers or different noncervical most cancers malignancies.
Information derived from Garg A, et al. JAMA Oncol. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.2638.
Ashvita Garg
“It was very placing to see that there’s nonetheless that a lot unawareness about HPV,” Ashvita Garg, PhD, MPH, MBBS, postdoctoral fellow at Hollings Most cancers Heart at Medical College of South Carolina, advised Healio.
HPV-associated cancers
HPV has associations with six completely different malignancy sorts — cervical, oral, vaginal, vulva, penile and anal most cancerss — in keeping with the CDC.
These cancers account for about 48,000 new diagnoses yearly within the U.S., in keeping with examine background.
Most of these instances (62%) happen in Southern and Midwestern states.
“Consciousness and data are a number of the key psychosocial drivers of preventive well being behaviors, equivalent to vaccination and screening uptake,” Garg stated. “We wished to see if there have been any geographic variations in how a lot persons are conscious of HPV, the HPV vaccine and the affiliation of HPV with cervical and oral cancers.”
Garg and colleagues used the 2017-2020 and 2022 Well being Info Nationwide Developments Surveys to analyze.
Their cohort consisted of twenty-two,344 respondents (imply age, 49 years; 51.1% ladies).
Survey questions included, “Have you ever ever heard of HPV?” and, “Earlier than right now, have you ever ever heard of the cervical most cancers vaccine or HPV shot?”
Those that had heard of HPV additionally had been requested, “Do you assume HPV may cause oral most cancers?” and “Do you assume HPV may cause cervical most cancers?”
Researchers labeled people who responded “no” or “unsure” as not having consciousness.
Lack of knowledge
General, 34.3% of respondents lacked consciousness about HPV, and 37.6% didn’t know in regards to the vaccine.
Lack of knowledge of HPV eclipsed 40% in Kansas, Nebraska, Mississippi, Illinois, Arizona, Arkansas and Alabama.
Lack of knowledge of the HPV vaccine surpassed 40% in 13 states (South Dakota, Kansas, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, California, Florida, Illinois, Alabama).
“HPV and HPV data gaps had been extra outstanding in Midwestern and Southern states,” Garg stated.
Amongst people who did have consciousness of HPV, 70.8% didn’t know that the virus causes oral most cancers. In 45 states and Washington D.C., greater than 60% of respondents lacked consciousness of the affiliation.
Garg described shock on the magnitude of the information.
“We all know that for the reason that HPV vaccine got here out, the main focus has at all times been on women and cervical most cancers prevention, which could possibly be why there’s such an unawareness of affiliation of HPV with different cancers,” she stated. “They’re placing findings.”
The information assist that idea, as solely 28.3% of respondents who had consciousness of HPV didn’t know of its affiliation with cervical most cancers.
Wyoming served as a primary instance. Solely 6.9% of respondents from the state who knew about HPV lacked consciousness it prompted cervical most cancers, however roughly 80% didn’t comprehend it prompted oral most cancers.
Researchers acknowledged examine limitations, together with the cross-sectional design and restricted information from a number of states.
‘Bridge the data hole’
Present CDC tips state HPV vaccination can start at age 9 years, and people as much as age 26 ought to get it if not adequately vaccinated. Sure adults aged 27 to 45 years additionally may gain advantage from vaccination, although it isn’t really useful for all.
“The goal for wholesome folks is to realize an HPV vaccination charge of 80%,” Garg stated. “Are we there but? No. We’re round 60%, and a brand new report got here out that stated the vaccination charges have stalled this yr. We had been anticipating the vaccination charges to maintain going up. It’s not occurring.”
Information from this examine present instructional interventions are mandatory, significantly in areas with greater most cancers burden and decrease consciousness and vaccination charges.
Understanding why consciousness gaps exist may assist in the creation of focused interventions.
“We have to assist sufferers bridge the data hole that HPV not solely causes cervical most cancers, however there are 5 different cancers that HPV is related to,” Garg stated.
She added, “It’s vital to vaccinate each women and boys, not just for prevention, but in addition as a result of it opens dialog between mother and father and suppliers, serving to enhance HPV data.”
References:
For extra data:
Ashvita Garg, PhD, MPH, MBBS, may be reached at garga@musc.edu.
Sources/Disclosures
Collapse
Disclosures:
Garg reviews no related monetary disclosures. Please see the examine for all different authors’ related monetary disclosures.
