Area-Level Variation and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Understanding how human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage varies by geography can help to identify areas of need for prevention and control efforts. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using a combination of keywords (HPV vaccination, geography, neighborhoods, and sociodemographic factors) on Medline and Embase databases. Studies had to provide information on HPV vaccination by area-level variables, be conducted in the United States, and be published in English (analyzing data from January 2006 to February 2020). Conference abstracts and opinion pieces were excluded. Of 733 records identified, 25 were included for systematic review. Across studies, the average initiation rate was 40.5% (range, 6.3%–78.0%). The average rate of completion was 23.4% (range, 1.7%–55.2%). Geographic regions and area-level factors were associated with HPV vaccination, including zip code tabulation area-level poverty, urbanicity/rurality, racial/ethnic composition, and health service region characteristics. Only three studies utilized geospatial approaches. None accounted for geospatial–temporal associations. Individual-level and area-level factors and their interactions are important for characterizing HPV vaccination. Results demonstrate the need to move beyond existing multilevel methods and toward the adoption of geospatial approaches that allow for the mapping and detection of geographic areas with low HPV vaccination coverage.