Table 1.
Reasons primary care physicians are or are not in favor of harmonization across genders of the recommended catch-up HPV vaccination age for everyone through age 26 years, by physician specialty — United States, 2018.
| Total N* (%) | Pediatrics n(%) | Family Medicine n(%) | Internal Medicine n(%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| If you are IN FAVOR of the change to harmonize the recommended age, why? | 724 (100) | 294 (100) | 232 (100) | 198 (100) |
| Simplify the vaccination schedule** | 709 (97.9) | 284 (96.6) | 231 (99.6) | 194 (98.0) |
| Easier to implement** | 684 (94.5) | 270 (91.8) | 225 (97.0) | 189 (95.5) |
| Easier to explain to patients | 679 (93.8) | 270 (91.8) | 219 (94.4) | 190 (96.0) |
| Facilitate reaching high-risk populations | 619 (85.5) | 256 (87.1) | 195 (84.1) | 168 (84.9) |
| Reduce burden on health care providers | 558 (77.1) | 224 (76.2) | 187 (80.6) | 147 (74.2) |
| Create equity between genders** | 420 (58.0) | 199 (67.7) | 122 (52.6) | 99 (50.0) |
| If you are NOT IN FAVOR of the change to harmonize the recommended age, why not? | 52 (100) | 13 (100) | 17 (100) | 22 (100) |
| I don’t have a problem with the current recommendation | 46 (88.5) | 12 (92.3) | 15 (88.2) | 19 (86.4) |
| Vaccination is less cost-effective in older age groups | 26 (50.0) | 7 (53.9) | 9 (52.9) | 10 (45.5) |
| I don’t think HPV vaccine should be administered to all males over age 21 years** | 24 (46.2) | 2 (15.4) | 12 (70.6) | 10 (45.5) |
*
Missing 35/820 (4.3%) who did not answer whether or not they favored the change, 6/730 (0.8%) who did not state any reasons why they were in favor of the change, and 3/55 (5.5%) who did not state any reasons why they were not in favor of the change.
**
p < 0.05 for difference between specialties.