Human Papillomavirus Awareness in Haiti: Preparing for a National HPV Vaccination Program.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer morbidity and mortality are pressing public health issues that affect women in Haiti. To inform efforts to develop a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program in Haiti, we sought to understand HPV awareness and willingness to get HPV vaccination in Haiti. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We interviewed a convenience sample of 475 women and men in 2 clinical settings in Port-au-Prince and Léogâne, Haiti between April and July 2014. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HPV awareness and willingness to get HPV vaccine for daughters. RESULTS: Few participants (27%, 130/475) had heard of HPV. Awareness of HPV was higher among respondents with a previous sexually transmitted infection compared with those without a previous sexually transmitted infection (odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-5.13). Adults who had heard of genital warts were also more likely to be aware of HPV compared with those who had not (odds ratio, 4.37; 95% confidence interval, 2.59-7.38). Only 10% (24/250) of parents had previously heard of HPV vaccine; however, after researchers explained the purpose of the vaccine, nearly all (96%, 240/250) said they would be willing to get HPV vaccine for their daughters if it were available. CONCLUSION: Despite low awareness of HPV in Haiti, interest in HPV vaccination was nearly universal in our study of health care-seeking adults. This high acceptability suggests that HPV vaccination programs instituted in Haiti would be well received.

Duke Scholars

Author Joel Boggan Medicine, General Internal Medicine