This study describes demographic characteristics and hospital bed capacities of the 5 New York City boroughs, and evaluates whether differences in testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), hospitalizations, and deaths have emerged as a signal of racial, ethnic, and financial disparities.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) and the causative agent for cervical cancer, a frequently occurring malignant disease among women in developing countries. We assessed HPV awareness prior to the delivery of a brief information and education intervention, and HPV vaccine provision to female entertainment and sex workers (N=220). At baseline, only 23.6% of women had heard of HPV. Following the educational intervention, 90% answered all the HPV knowledge questions correctly. Of 192 participants attending the first quarterly cohort visit where vaccine was offered, 149 (78%) were eligible for vaccination; HIV-positive (n=32) and pregnant (n=11) women were excluded. Acceptance of vaccine among eligible women was universal, and 79.2% completed the three-dose vaccination series. Women who reported use of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) had significantly and independently lower odds of vaccine completion (Adjusted OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.08, 0.69). New pregnancies also had an impact on vaccine completion: 5.4% (8/149 5.4%) who started the series had to stop due to new pregnancy. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of a simple education intervention designed to increase HPV knowledge and the feasibility of successful HPV vaccine in a population that is often difficult to engage in preventive health care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.