The effects of a brief educational intervention on human papillomavirus knowledge and intention to initiate HPV vaccination in 18–26 year old young adults

•We introduced a general HPV education into a minority community health fair setting.•Individuals who received the educational intervention had higher HPV and HPV vaccination knowledge scores compared to those who did not.•Individuals who received the educational intervention had higher intention to initiate HPV vaccination compared to those who did not.

ObjectivesDespite the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for young adult females and males to receive the three-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, most recent findings show that only 30% of the U.S. females aged 19–26, 2.8% of males aged 19–21, and only 1.7% of males aged 22–26 are initiating vaccination. This study evaluates the effects of a brief (5–10 min) group HPV educational intervention on knowledge and intent to vaccinate among young adults.MethodsA sample of 131 18–26 year old females and males was recruited from the 2012 INShape Black and Minority Health Fair in Indiana. We randomized participants into one of two groups: (1) survey completion prior to education (control group) or (2) survey completion following education (intervention group). Written surveys assessed HPV knowledge, vaccination history, and vaccination intent (for unvaccinated participants).ResultsRespondents were primarily female (70%), single (85%), and the majority self-identified as non-Hispanic Black (77%). Thirty-seven percent had initiated HPV vaccination (≥ 1 dose) and 19% had completed the series. The intervention group had higher HPV knowledge scores (M = 9.1; SD = 1.8) than the control group (M = 7.0; SD = 2.9; F = 22.53). Among unvaccinated individuals (n = 79), the intervention group had higher HPV vaccination intent (86%) compared to the control group (67%) (OR = 3.09; 95%CI = 1.02–9.36).ConclusionsDespite ACIP recommendations, young adults continue to have low awareness of vaccine benefits and low vaccination rates. This study suggests that educational interventions to increase HPV awareness and vaccination may help to boost vaccination rates.