Awareness of oral and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in young adolescents prior to gender-neutral vaccination

Gillian Knight*, Ben Roberts

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) and oropharyngeal cancer prevalence are increasing, particularly in men. Raising greater awareness of male HPV disease is perceived as an important intervention strategy. This study investigated the effectiveness of HPV education on adolescents' perception of HPV disease and the impact of HPV vaccination on their sexual health. Methods: An HPV questionnaire was completed by 357 UK-based adolescents, aged 12-13 years. Results: Most adolescents knew HPV causes cervical cancer and HPV vaccination prevents this. A minority acknowledged HPV causes other genital cancers, with under one-fifth knowing HPV causes genital warts. Adolescents' awareness of HPV transmission activities were limited. There was very poor awareness of oral HPV infection or HPV-induced oropharyngeal cancer. Half of the participants stated HPV vaccination reduced their concerns about sexually transmitted infection contraction. Over half the males said they may take more sexual risks following vaccination, while a similar proportion of females did not expect their partner to take more risks. Conclusions: Adolescents had little awareness of male HPV infection and the role HPV vaccination can play in preventing these diseases. With variable rates of HPV vaccination uptake in males reported worldwide, this study indicates that in the UK greater emphasis on male HPV disease within educational information is required, to raise better awareness of how HPV affects both genders. As both genders preferred to receive education via healthcare professionals, educating a wider range of healthcare professionals on oral HPV could help facilitate awareness of HPV's role in head and neck cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)110-116
Number of pages7
JournalBMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health
Volume47
Issue number2
Early online date2 Apr 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Apr 2021

Bibliographical note

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. CC BY-NC

Keywords

  • education and training
  • health education
  • human papillomavirus
  • sexually transmitted infections
  • teenagers

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