Abstract A163: Understanding HPV awareness and the role of social influence on vaccination decisions in the African American community

Abstract Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US and is also the primary risk factor for cervical cancer. Certain HPV strains are also linked to penial, prostate, and head and neck cancers. Although there is an effective vaccination available that protects against genital warts and most forms of cervical cancer, vaccination rates for African American adolescents remain below national goals. This abstract explores caregivers’ baseline knowledge and attitudes towards HPV and the HPV vaccine as well as perceptions towards influential figures and social relationships factor in the decision to vaccinate their children against HPV. Methods: Participants were recruited through individual referral and partnership with a community-based organization. Eligible participants were parents or guardians of self-identified African American children aged 9-18 years old who have not completed all doses of the HPV vaccine. Pre surveys were administered before an educational video to assess participants attitudes and knowledge about HPV and the HPV vaccine. One sample t-tests were conducted to assess attitudes against neutral (3) on a 5-point Likert scale. One sample binomial tests were conducted to assess relational influence and knowledge against chance (50%). A 50% threshold was used to reflect the binary response format (true/false). Key Insights: There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of equal proportions in correct responses of HPV-causing cervical cancer (50%) (χ2=9.81, p=0.007), HPV-causing penile and anal cancer (20%) (χ2=22.42 p=.0001), and HPV causing genital warts (33.3%) (χ2=16.42 p=.0003). Participants expressed modestly positive attitudes toward HPV vaccine safety and efficacy (mean=3.69, p=.0001), the importance of HPV vaccination before sexual debut (mean=3.42, p=.05), and the belief that HPV vaccination does not lead to earlier sexual debut (mean=3.66, p=.006). There was a slight but statistically significant agreement for vaccination with a physician’s recommendation (mean=3.41, p=.03). Most participants reported that their spouse would not influence their decision to vaccinate (65.52%, p=.0001). Slightly over half of participants expressed their child’s opinion would not influence their decision to vaccinate (51.72%, p=.0001). Implications: These findings highlight the need for tailored educational interventions to address knowledge gaps. These findings also challenge the assumption that social figures greatly influence caregiver’s decision to vaccinate children against HPV in the African American community. The predominantly neutral responses suggest that there may be opportunity to strengthen these influences through education and engagement. Future research can explore qualitatively, parents’ perceptions on why certain figures may be more influential than others. Using this data can help determine whether future interventions and communication regarding HPV should use channels that are more individual focused or socially driven. Citation Format: Jade Truehart, Lin Zhu, Yin Tan, Eliza Huang, Syanne Seth, Grace Ma. Understanding HPV awareness and the role of social influence on vaccination decisions in the African American community abstract. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A163.