The findings do not mean that White, US-born, or higher education-educated ladies are additional probable to contract HPV. It’s a communication difficulty, the authors reported.
“Despite epidemiologic info indicating bigger HPV prevalence among the those people much less educated and ladies of coloration, these teams were significantly less likely to report ever being instructed they have an HPV infection than White gals, and those with a faculty diploma suggesting communication gaps between these subgroups about HPV infection that might exist,” the analyze authors stated.
The analyze made use of info from 2015 to 2016 Nationwide Health and Nutritional Assessment Survey (NHANES) to examine the prevalence and properties related to women in the United States who report at any time becoming informed they had an HPV an infection.
The sample involved 1669 females aged 18 to 59 (suggest [SD] age 38.4 [11.96]) in the United States who report becoming explained to they experienced an HPV an infection.
NHANES consisted of interviews done in participants’ properties and involved demographic, socioeconomic, dietary, and other health-relevant issues adopted by standardized actual physical exams.
When weighted to replicate the total US feminine inhabitants (75,107,170), about 11.5% women reported currently being instructed that they experienced an HPV an infection, of which 60.9% were White, 13.% were Black, and 10.3% ended up Mexican American. The bulk (85.9%) ended up born in the United States. For women with genital warts, there was a significantly higher proportion that did not report HPV (56.7%) than did report HPV (43.3%).
The largest gaps in HPV an infection diagnosis were being joined to race and ethnicity. Mexican American females had been 157% much more very likely to report HPV than Black ladies (odds ratio [OR], 2.573 95% CI, 1.288–4.998 P < .05). The “other race” category showed 181% greater odds of reporting HPV than White women (OR, 2.828 95% CI, 1.097–7.287 P < .05), and 286% greater odds than Asian women (OR, 3.861 95% CI, 1.710–8.720 P < .05).
Regarding education level, women with a college degree or higher were 87% more likely to be told they had an HPV infection than those with a high school diploma or equivalent (OR, 1.871 95% CI, 1.058–3.309 P < .05). They were also 259% more likely than women with some high school education without a high school diploma (OR, 3.592 95% CI, 1.349–9.563 P < .05).
The authors said a potential limitation of this study is that it was based on self-report and subject to recall bias. At the same time, the findings also suggest poor communication about HPV infection, they noted.
“Each diagnosed HPV infection represents a ‘teachable moment’ and failing to adequately inform patients represents a missed opportunity to enhance a woman’s knowledge of HPV,” the authors said. “Despite the consequences of HPV infections, many women remain unaware of HPV and would benefit from being told of an infection.”
They also noted that health literacy is linked to improved adherence for both acute and chronic disease, stressing the importance that women know if they have ever had an HPV infection.
Further, understanding the characteristics of these women and who is and is not receiving a proper HPV infection diagnosis helps providers and public health officials identify potential communication gaps. “Understanding these associations can help clinicians and public health personnel to educational awareness programs that potentially improve screening and follow-up, decrease health disparities, and increase immunization rates,” the authors said.
Reference
Hung M, Su S, Hon E s, et al. Health disparities associated with females reporting human papillomavirus infection in the United States. Women’s Health Rep. Published online July 15, 2021. doi:10.1089