OBJECTIVES: About 16,500 HPV-associated cancers occur in the United States annually among men. HPV is thought to be responsible for more than 90% of anal, 70% of oropharynx and 60% of penile cancers. HPV vaccination reduces the risk of infection from the most common HPV types that cause HPV-associated cancers. There is limited research on vaccination uptake among men based on nativity status (i.e., U.S.- versus foreign-born). We examined whether there were significant differences in HPV vaccination uptake between U.S.-born and foreign-born men.

METHODS: The National Health Interview Survey 2014-2016 was examined for men, aged 18–32 years (n =6598). HPV vaccine initiation was defined as receipt of at least one dose of the vaccine and completion as receipt of the three doses. Weighted, multivariable binary logistic regression models were used to assess the association between nativity status and HPV vaccine uptake, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors.

RESULTS: Approximately 16% of men self-identified as foreign-born, 8% had initiated the HPV vaccine, and 3% had completed the HPV vaccine. After adjusting for covariates, compared to U.S.-born men, foreign-born men were 47% [(adjusted odds ratio) 0.53; (95 % confidence interval) 0.36–0.78] less likely to initiate the HPV vaccine but there were no difference between the two groups in terms of vaccine completion. Men were more likely to initiate and complete the HPV vaccine if they had visit the doctor’s office 6+ times (3.13; 2.16–4.53), and 1-5 times (1.84; 1.42–2.39) vs. no doctor’s office within the last 12 months. The results held for HPV vaccine completion.

CONCLUSIONS: We found that HPV vaccine uptake among men was very low overall, and foreign-born men had lower initiation compared to US born men. Public health interventions to improve HPV vaccination need to be developed for all men irrespective of nativity status.