Missed Opportunities to Vaccinate Teens against HPV: Variation and Mechanisms between Public & Private Facilities

Authors' Names

Patrick E. BoiseFollow

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Category

Social Sciences/Humanities

Abstract/Artist Statement

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with 37,300 new cases of cancer every year in the United States, despite effective vaccines for HPV being approved and available starting in 2006. This study examines missed opportunities for HPV vaccination among US teens, where the teen has a healthcare visit but the recommended HPV dose is not administered, and evaluates the differences in the rates of these missed opportunities between private and public healthcare facilities. This study uses a health economics framework and logistic regression to analyze data from a nationally representative sample of US teens using the public use files from the National Immunization Survey – Teen (NIS-Teen) from 2018, 2019, and 2020. The dataset includes information on vaccination history, healthcare facility types, and patient and household demographics. By using this nationally representative dataset, this study provides a broad picture of the issue of missed opportunities to vaccinate against HPV among US teens with a narrow analysis on the effect of facility type. Results suggest that missed opportunities for HPV vaccination are more prevalent in public facilities compared to private facilities and that certain demographic groups, such as white males, are at a higher risk for missing out on HPV vaccination opportunities. The results of the study provide new insights into the factors associated with missed vaccination opportunities, including healthcare facility type and patient demographics. The findings have important implications for policymakers and healthcare providers in the fight to prevent HPV-related cancers, highlighting the need for targeted interventions for HPV vaccine uptake among US teens and to reduce disparities in HPV vaccination coverage.

Mentor Name

Katrina Mullan, Ph.D.

Personal Statement

As a non-traditional student returning to academics after a decade and a half away, I cannot help but see my studies and this thesis through a complex lens that was created through life experience. Although my thesis targets health economics and public health topics, the thesis weaves more complex topics and human behaviors together highlighting the importance of accurate information as well as the effects of taboo topics distorting public reception of such information. As important as specialization is when it comes to scientific research, the necessary reductivism can also lead to a myopia that prevents the researcher from contextualizing their work or recognizing the complex social settings that may influence it. This thesis is the culmination of my return to academics but will not be my final contribution to health economics research or public policy. But, GradCon at UM is a great opportunity to highlight the intersecting nature of all our research and I hope to be able to communicate that intersection both through the thesis itself and in my approach to its dissemination.