What is it about?

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) and is a particular concern for sexual minority men, who are at greater risk for the types of cancers that HPV can cost. We interviewed 38 young sexual minority men in NYC about HPV and the HPV vaccine. Despite their increased risk, these young sexual minority men knew little about HPV and the HPV vaccine, perceived it as a gendered issue that only seriously affects women, and rarely heard about HPV or the vaccine from their healthcare providers.

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Why is it important?

Young sexual minority men are at an increased risk for HPV and HPV-related illnesses (i.e., genital warts and cancers) due to greater rates of smoking and HIV and lower rates of HPV vaccination. Our findings show that this risk may also be driven by a lack of health communication and vaccine recommendation from healthcare providers, limited HPV knowledge, and misconceptions about HPV—all of which prevents people from protecting themselves through screening and vaccination.

Perspectives

This article is deeply important to me. Everyone who is sexually active—all genders, sexual orientations, races/ethnicities, relationship styles—is at risk for HPV and should talk to their doctor about getting screened and vaccinated. People need to be educated so we can advocate for ourselves, and healthcare providers need to do a better job of educating and providing LGBTQ-competent care for their patients around HPV. I hope this article creates a motivation for those changes!

Caleb LoSchiavo
Rutgers School of Public Health

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Misinformation, Gendered Perceptions, and Low Healthcare Provider Communication Around HPV and the HPV Vaccine Among Young Sexual Minority Men in New York City: The P18 Cohort Study, Journal of Community Health, February 2020, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s10900-019-00784-w.
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