Prevention Matters

A recent analysis of surveillance data reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that only about one third of adolescent girls ages 13-17 in a six-state sample have received more than one dose of the HPV vaccine.

Since the vaccine first received FDA approval in 2006, little research has been done to assess its use. For this analysis the researchers used data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the 2000 U.S. census on 1,709 girls in Delaware, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. It is not clear from the study findings why these six states were chosen. 70% of the girls in the study were white and 74% were insured.

The study also found that girls in states with higher poverty levels were less likely to be vaccinated, but those in counties with higher poverty levels were more likely to be vaccianted.

"Although seemingly contradictory, this indicates that while girls in poorer states had overall lower odds, girls living in any state experienced higher odds of vaccination if they lived in counties with higher poverty levels," said Sandi L. Pruitt, PhD, and Mario Schootman, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis. "This may be partially explained by the limited resources of poor states," Pruitt said.

These findings show the need for interventions to increase vaccination among all eligible girls.

Christianne Johnson
Program Manager
Partnership for Prevention