Lower Uptake of HPV Vaccine Seen for Girls With Mental Illness

THURSDAY, Sept. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Girls with mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions have lower uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, according to a study published in the September issue of The Lancet Public Health.

Kejia Hu, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study to examine the association of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions among girls and their parents with HPV vaccination uptake. All girls born between Jan. 1, 2002, and March 1, 2004, who were eligible for two vaccine doses were identified; the study population included 115,104 girls.

Overall, 1.9 percent of the girls had a specialist diagnosis of any mental health condition. The researchers found that uptake of the first HPV vaccine dose was 80.7 percent and was lower for those with versus without any mental health condition (adjusted relative risk, 0.89). The strongest associations with lower HPV vaccine uptake were seen for the diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability (adjusted relative risks, 0.79 and 0.78, respectively). Among girls with versus without prescribed use of psychotropic medication, vaccine uptake was lower (adjusted relative risk, 0.93); the strongest association was seen for antipsychotics (adjusted relative risk, 0.68). Second-dose uptake was 95.0 percent; no strong association was seen between second-dose uptake and mental health conditions in girls or their parents.

These findings "highlight the disparities in cervical cancer prevention among girls with mental health conditions, and call for future research to ensure equitable protection," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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