FRIDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Adherence to recommended schedules for human papillomavirus (HPV) quadrivalent vaccine is relatively low, and even lower among blacks, raising concerns about disease disparity, according to research published online Dec. 13 in Pediatrics.
To determine the level of adherence to the recommended schedule for vaccination and to identify factors associated with completing the three-dose series, Lea E. Widdice, M.D., of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues reviewed data on 3,297 females aged 9 to 26 who initiated HPV vaccination.
Sixty-seven percent of the females self-identified as black and 29 percent as white. The researchers found that more than 50 percent of the doses were received late and fewer than 3 percent were received earlier than recommended. Completion rates by seven and 12 months were 14 and 28 percent, respectively. Completion by seven months was more likely to be achieved in whites, females whose contraception use necessitated intramuscular injections at three-month intervals, and those with private rather than public insurance.
"Adherence to recommended intervals and completion of the vaccine series were low. Lower rates of completion in black patients compared with white patients raises concern that disparities in vaccine completion could exacerbate existing disparities in cervical cancer," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to Merck.
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