Male college students are at higher risk than they think for exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), and many have not been vaccinated against this common sexually transmitted infection, according to research by Assistant Professors聽Holly Fontenot聽and聽Melissa Sutherland聽and CSON alumnae Anna Charyk, M.S. 鈥�13, and Heidi Collins Fantasia, M.S. 鈥�97, Ph.D. 鈥�09. The study appeared online in March in the聽Journal of American College Health.
Conducting an electronic survey of 18- to 25-year-old males attending a public university in the Northeast, the investigators found 93 percent of the 735 participants鈥攁ll currently or previously sexually active鈥攔eported they were not at risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections, even though their condom use was low (51 percent used condoms sometimes or never) and their mean number of lifetime sexual partners was high (6.3).
Additionally, only 14 percent had received the three-shot vaccination against HPV, which can spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex and cause genital warts, certain cancers, and other problems. Some students had started the vaccine series while three-quarters had not been immunized at all. (The CDC recommends HPV vaccine for all adolescents and 鈥渃atch-up鈥� vaccines for older teens and young adults.)
The research team found many survey takers lacked knowledge about HPV and the vaccine; other barriers to vaccination included cost, access, and fear of shots. The authors note that college health providers are well positioned to influence HPV vaccination rates through education, awareness, and immunization services for students.
鈥擱esearch summary by Debra Bradley Ruder