Distribution of Vaccine-Type Human Papillomavirus Does Not Differ by Race or Ethnicity Among Unvaccinated Young Women

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated racial and ethnic differences in the distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) types among adult women with cervical precancers. The aim of this study was to determine whether the distribution of vaccine-targeted HPV types varies by race/ethnicity among unvaccinated young women. Materials and Methods: A secondary analysis was performed using data from four studies of sexually experienced, unvaccinated, 13-26-year-old women. Participants completed surveys and provided a cervicovaginal swab for HPV DNA testing. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine whether race, ethnicity, and other factors were associated with type-specific HPV infection among the overall sample and among HPV-infected participants. Models controlled for age, HPV knowledge, sexual behaviors, substance use, and random study effect. Results: The mean age of participants (N = 841) was 19.3 years; 64.4% were black and 8.9% Hispanic. Black women were more likely than white women to be positive for ‡1 HPV type (odds ratio [OR] 1.83, 95% CI 1.30-2.58) and Hispanic women were less likely than non-Hispanic women to be positive for ‡1 HPV type (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.24-0.92). However, among all young women and HPV-infected women, neither race nor ethnicity was associated with positivity for HPV types targeted by the following vaccines: 2-valent (HPV16 and/or 18), 11,16,and/or 18),11,16,18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and/or 58). Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV types targeted by the 2-valent, 4-valent, and 9-valent vaccines did not differ by race or ethnicity among all and among HPV-infected women in this sample.

Impact of human papillomavirus vaccination on racial/ethnic disparities in vaccine-type human papillomavirus prevalence among 14–26 year old females in the U.S.

“…The results from our study also indicate that much of the decrease in vaccine-type HPV [31] demonstrated in the US could be due mainly to decreases among young white women. We observed that the prevalence of high-risk vaccine-type HPV did not vary significantly by race/ ethnicity during the prevaccine years, similar to evidence reported among unvaccinated young women [32–34]. Although young black women experienced a modest decrease in prevalence of vaccine-type HPV, the decrease did not occur until late post-licensure years (2011–2014).…”

Racial differences in human papilloma virus types amongst United States women with HIV and cervical precancer

“…In a second study, African American and Hispanic women had a lower prevalence of HPV16 or 18 in CIN2+ lesions compared with Caucasian women [14]. Additional recent studies (but not all) found low HPV16 and sometimes also HPV18 among African Americans in the general population, even in the absence of cervical precancer [15–20]. One prior study in women with HIV by Whittemore et al (2016) did not find similar racial differences, but studied young individuals, 13–26 years of age, without cervical precancer.…”