HPV vaccination is most effective if received before initiation of sexual activity. Previous studies suggested that young adult women who were not sexually active were not interested in receiving the vaccine because they did not think it was necessary. Whether this misperception is still prevalent today—and also shared by men—is unknown. This study examined whether sexual activity was associated with HPV vaccine uptake (initiation and completion) among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2021 among students (n = 951) at a public Midwestern University. Sexual activity was categorized as “never” or “ever” had oral and/or vaginal sex. Outcome variables were HPV vaccine initiation, defined as receipt of ≥1 dose, and completion, defined as receipt of ≥3 doses. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association between sexual activity and HPV vaccine uptake, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Approximately 18% of students reported never engaging in sexual activity. Overall, 45.5% initiated the HPV vaccine, and 16.5% completed the vaccine series. After adjusting for covariates, compared to students that reported never engaging in sexual activity, those that had ever engaged in sexual activity were more likely to have initiated the vaccine series (aOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.34–3.17); however, no difference was observed for completion. HPV vaccination was low; sexually naïve students were less likely to initiate the HPV vaccine. Since sexually naïve students may benefit from receiving the HPV vaccination, targeted interventions should be implemented towards this population to help increase vaccination rates and prevent HPV-associated diseases.
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) accounts for about 35,000 HPV-associated cancers per year. In the United States, a gender-neutral HPV vaccine was recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in 2011 with the primary goal of preventing HPV-associated cancers. Although the HPV vaccine is safe and effective, vaccine uptake is low especially in young adult population. College students comprise the age-group with the highest risk of HPV infection. The HPV vaccines are thought to be most effective before initiation of sexual activity. However, there is a dearth of information on the association between HPV vaccine uptake and sexual activity among college students. This study examined if sexual naivety was associated with HPV vaccination uptake (initiation and completion) among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2021 among students at a Midwestern University. Sexual naivety was assessed with these questions: “Have you ever had vaginal sexual intercourse?”, and “Have you ever had oral sex?” Responses were categorized as “no oral or vaginal sex”, “had oral or vaginal sex”, or “had oral and vaginal sex”. The outcome variable was HPV vaccination uptake; initiation was defined as receipt of ≥1 dose, and completion as receipt of ≥3 doses. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association between sexual naivety and vaccine uptake, adjusting for age, gender, race, relationship status, academic level, and rural-urban status. Results: Approximately 18% of students reported being sexually naïve. Overall, 45.5% had initiated the HPV vaccination, and 16.5% had completed the vaccination. After adjusting for covariates, compared to students who reported being sexually naïve, those that had ever had oral and vaginal sex were more likely to have initiated (aOR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.41–3.39) the HPV vaccinations; however, no difference was observed for completion. Other factors associated with lower odds of HPV vaccination initiation included younger age (aOR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.85–0.95), male sex (aOR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.23–0.45), rural residence (aOR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.47–0.96), and freshman/sophomore academic level (aOR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.95). Only gender was associated with vaccination completion where male students were 74% less likely to have completed the series compared to female students. Conclusions: We show that 1-in-5 students were sexually naïve, and that 4-in-10 had initiated the HPV vaccination but only 16% had completed the series. Sexual naivety was an independent predictor of HPV vaccine initiation, with sexually naïve students less likely to have initiated the vaccination. Since sexually naïve students may benefit the most from receiving the HPV vaccination, targeted interventions should be implemented towards this population to help increase vaccination rates and prevent HPV-associated diseases. Citation Format: Eric Adjei Boakye, Stacey L. McKinney, Maria C. Franca, Kelli D. Whittington, Valerie E. Boyer, Minjee Lee, Richard C. McKinnies, Sandra K. Collins. Association between sexual naivety and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and completion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-244.
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with virtually all cases of cervical, 90% of anal, 69% of vaginal, 60% of oropharyngeal, 51% of vulvar, and 40% of penile cancers. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends routine HPV vaccination for adolescents between 11 and 12 years, and catch-up vaccination is also recommended for both males and females aged 13-26 years. College students not only fall in the age group at high risk for HPV infection but are also of childbearing age; thus, their awareness not only affects current vaccination rates but also those of the next generation. Therefore, understanding college students' awareness of the causal link between HPV and HPV-associated cancers is of great significance for the promotion of HPV vaccine uptake. The objectives of the study were to 1) describe the level of awareness of the link between HPV and HPV-associated cancers; and 2) identify factors associated with awareness. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study at a public Midwestern university. A previously validated questionnaire was distributed online to all students at the university from February to May 2021. The outcomes of interest were student's awareness that HPV causes certain cancers (anal, vaginal, oropharyngeal, vulvar, and penile). Students were asked if they knew whether HPV was causally link with those cancers, with response options ‘yes', ‘no' and ‘don't know'. Students who answered yes were categorized as aware and those who answered ‘no' and ‘don't know' were categorized as unaware. Five multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association between age, gender, race, relationship status, academic level, rural-urban status, sexual naivety; and awareness of the link between HPV and HPV-associated cancers. Results: A total of 862 students were included in the study. Approximately 34% were aware HPV causes anal, 39% were aware HPV cause oral, 38% were aware HPV cause penile, 53% were aware HPV cause vaginal, and 40% were aware HPV cause vulvar cancers. In multivariable analyses, males were less likely to be aware that HPV cause vaginal (aOR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.30–0.59), or vulvar cancers (aOR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.38–0.77) compared to females. Compared with sexually naïve students, those who had have oral and vaginal sex were more likely to be aware that HPV cause anal (aOR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.17–3.34), penile (aOR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.11–2.97), vaginal (aOR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.14–2.88), or vulvar (aOR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.24–3.40) cancers. Conclusion: Overall awareness of the link between HPV and HPV-associated cancers were low, with roughly 4-in-10 students having awareness, except vaginal where half of students had awareness of the link. This underscores the need for more tailored interventions to increase knowledge about HPV and its association with cancer. Increasing students' levels of awareness may impact HPV vaccine uptake. Citation Format: Eric Adjei Boakye, Maria C. Franca, Valerie E. Boyer, Minjee Lee, Kelli D. Whittington, Stacey L. McKinney, Sandra K. Collins, Richard C. McKinnies. Awareness of the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-associated cancers among university students [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-269.
The potential for using a low molecular weight polyethylene (PE) polymer to improve the properties of creosote-treated wood was evaluated on samples of six different wood species. Samples were impregnated with creosote alone or amended with the PE additive and then tested to failure in third-point loading to determine modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture. Samples were then subjected to three soak–dry cycles to assess the impact of moisture uptake on fastener performance or water repellency. The presence of the PE was associated with lower preservative retentions, but had no significant effect on modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, water repellency, or fastener withdrawal resistance. The results suggest that the additive limited preservative uptake, but did not improve any of the wood properties evaluated.
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