Will men actually get the HPV vaccine?
I know this conversation has come up in a few places here on WEGO Health, but I wanted to share some information about a new study out of Florida State University that I came across earlier this week.
Since the HPV vaccine is (apparently) likely to be approved for men (and possibly boys as young as 9?), FSU researchers decided to look at what information would make the most difference to men as they made decisions about receiving the HPV vaccine.
Half of the men were told about the self-protection benefits of the vaccine. Namely, that they would be protected against some of the strands of HPV that cause genital warts. The other half were told about these benefits, and the partner-protection benefits of the vaccine - protection for women against cervical cancer.
Apparently, this additional piece of information didn't make much of a difference to the men in the study, as both groups indicated they were only moderately likely to get such a vaccine. The level of interest didn't change among the group of men who identified themselves as being in a committed relationship, either.
I'd encourage everyone to read this brief article about the study, and watch the short video on that page with Professor Mary Gerend, who designed the study and discusses the reasoning behind it.
While my initial reaction to this study was disappointment, it did get me thinking. I wish we had information about how women felt about this vaccine - their level of interest in it, before all the One Less ad campaigns and what not. The end of the article indicates that only 1 in 10 women between the ages of 18 and 26 have received the vaccine; so perhaps college kids just aren't that interested in these things. (There are, of course, some other explanations for why more women over the age of 18 haven't received the vaccine)
I think if the vaccine does get approved for men, it will be interesting to see how this information is presented. Obviously, cervical cancer prevention is a big win, but preventing genital warts, and some of the penile cancers that HPV can cause, is nothing to sneeze at either. But is that the sort of thing parents really want to hear?
So, men out there, would you get the HPV vaccine to protect your partner from cervical cancer? Moms and dads, would you want your sons vaccinated? Ladies, is this the sort of things we'll come to expect from our partners in the future?
Since the HPV vaccine is (apparently) likely to be approved for men (and possibly boys as young as 9?), FSU researchers decided to look at what information would make the most difference to men as they made decisions about receiving the HPV vaccine.
Half of the men were told about the self-protection benefits of the vaccine. Namely, that they would be protected against some of the strands of HPV that cause genital warts. The other half were told about these benefits, and the partner-protection benefits of the vaccine - protection for women against cervical cancer.
Apparently, this additional piece of information didn't make much of a difference to the men in the study, as both groups indicated they were only moderately likely to get such a vaccine. The level of interest didn't change among the group of men who identified themselves as being in a committed relationship, either.
I'd encourage everyone to read this brief article about the study, and watch the short video on that page with Professor Mary Gerend, who designed the study and discusses the reasoning behind it.
While my initial reaction to this study was disappointment, it did get me thinking. I wish we had information about how women felt about this vaccine - their level of interest in it, before all the One Less ad campaigns and what not. The end of the article indicates that only 1 in 10 women between the ages of 18 and 26 have received the vaccine; so perhaps college kids just aren't that interested in these things. (There are, of course, some other explanations for why more women over the age of 18 haven't received the vaccine)
I think if the vaccine does get approved for men, it will be interesting to see how this information is presented. Obviously, cervical cancer prevention is a big win, but preventing genital warts, and some of the penile cancers that HPV can cause, is nothing to sneeze at either. But is that the sort of thing parents really want to hear?
So, men out there, would you get the HPV vaccine to protect your partner from cervical cancer? Moms and dads, would you want your sons vaccinated? Ladies, is this the sort of things we'll come to expect from our partners in the future?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Whaler on -
I'm not really sure what that study shows, it might be interesting if there was a group who received NO education on the benefits for males and just for the women. If that was the same as the other two, then we wouldn't really need to be worrying about the attitudes of young males. However if that group was even LESS interested in the vaccine then it's time to worry. Like you've already said, they're young and in college and that might just not be there thing.
That's a good point about the actual diseases the men can get from HPV are just not pretty. Not that cervical cancer is pretty, the fact that it's internal makes it more "dignified" somehow.
This would definitely be something to look for in a fluid bonded partner in my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by Marie on -
Wow, how did I even miss the fact that they didn't really do a baseline here? I think it would also be important to know how men feel about this vaccine without any education at all.
I wonder why they didn't do that? It seems like pretty important context for their research.
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Permalink Reply by Whaler on
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Perhaps they considered unethical to provide no information, however they could have just educated them correctly during the debriefing.
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Permalink Reply by John on -
I'm surprised more men wouldn't want an HPV vaccine given that it prevents against some strand of genital warts. That does NOT sound appealing to me. The additional benefit to women's prevention should just be icing on the cake.
I'm confused as to why men wouldn't want the vaccine more since it prevents women from cervical cancer as well as the spread of HPV in general. Sexual health is something that needs to be taken more seriously in Sex Education classes throughout the U.S. The fact that men's interest would not increase with new information is disheartening.
Perhaps an HPV vaccine will become a potential option for more men once the vaccine is approved and publicized more in the mainstream media. I often see commercials for women's HPV vaccinations but have obviously not seen any for men. Maybe once this visible dialogue is started will men be more open and apt to the idea of getting vaccinated for HPV. Until then, it is being depicted purely as a women's issue, when in fact maybe it should be more gender neutral. Society as a whole should be concerned with HPV, not just women. Unfortunately I think that's the way it has been framed and constructed in today's media.
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Permalink Reply by amanda on -
I agree, HPV has been advertised 100% as a woman's issue. They don't even depict fathers in the One Less campaign (as far as I know). I'm not sure why they are keeping men out of this when men are just as easily affected (whether it be from their actual side effects from HPV, being carriers, or because of the women and girls in their lives are susceptible). I think because so much of advertising (especially health-related) is focused toward/for women - men tend to ignore a lot of these commercials or ads if they see them. And I'm sure this leads to misinformation. I don't blame them. The ad industry has alerted everyone that ads for men include women, sex, cars, and sports (though these are feeding off/perpetuating ancient stereotypes). Ugh!
John, you bring up a greater point about Sex Ed in general. It's a tough issue to be gender neutral about, I would guess, because the actual side effects of STIs are usually very gender specific (ie: many men who have STIs are without visible symptoms but remain carriers of the infection). It's perhaps just the way our bodies are. Women are also very concerned with their physical health and sexual well-being for other reasons. (Social stigmas that women should be pure/worried/thinking more about sex, the fact that women are already aware of that part of their bodies monthly thanks to nature, and the fact that UTIs etc are more common, etc etc.) I think this discussion ties in really well with any about Men's Health in general. The stigmas about men getting medical treatment and healthcare are still prevalent in our society. And this fact will not lead to greater awareness about sex ed or STIs.
Men (well boys, really) need to be educated to a fuller extent about their role in sex from a health perspective. I think they should also be more educated about women's health issues as well (we're all people and these things affect us all, right?). Women shouldn't only be worried about men's health issues because they fear getting an STI either. Many old stereotypes about sex, purity, menstruation, STIs, and men's health are still around and I eagerly await the day that we are all on the same page and employing preventative techniques and positive education for children of both genders.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on -
*ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!* John & Amanda win at life! (In my book, at least.)
This has been a huge beef with me since the initial marketing campaign for the HPV vaccination. It's ONLY aimed at women. We talked about the campaign in quite a few of my public health classes last year and it's a wide spread annoyance within that community. Even the men in the department had noticed the one-sidedness of the marketing - but that could quite possibly be because they're public health educators.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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Marie, I, too, am somewhat disappointed in the results of the study, but like Whaler mentioned, without the baseline, we really don't know how the males' attitudes may or may not have changed. HPV is marketed as such a "woman's" disease that it will be very interesting to see a) whether it is approved for men and b) how it will be marketed towards them.
I feel old saying this, but I wonder what the generational differences on opinions of sexual safety are between our age and the kids (hah) that are going into college this coming year. I miss being in school and getting to hear about this stuff. I need to find a class to take or a textbook to read to edu-ma-cate me again.
This is actually leading me to draft a post ... thank you Marie!
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Permalink Reply by Marie on
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I love all the discussion here!
I never really thought about the lack of dads in the One Less campaign, but that's a really great point. I think that the focus on cervical cancer prevention is great, as I mentioned, but I think they may need to rework some things if they're going to focus on men and boys getting vaccinated. Much as I would like everyone to be concerned with preventing cervical cancer, it's not shocking that men may be a little less investing in preventing an illness they'll never suffer from.
HPV, on the other hand, is something that impacts everyone, regardless of gender. Preventing the spread of HPV (which affects many, many more people than cervical cancer) seems like a bigger deal, but I imagine there's less stigma around cervical cancer than there is surrounding HPV and genital warts.
Either way, I hope that these types of conversations (which I know are happening in many different communities) will help increase awareness about the condition, for both men and women. Hopefully more awareness will lead to further discussion and open, honest conversations about sexual health so we can dispel with some of the stereotypes Amanda was talking about!
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Permalink Reply by paindfoot on -
This is a subject that really hits home for me. My daughter was diagnosed with HPV about a year ago. She was 23, scared spitless and had just two partners her entire life. The male she got if from is apparently a carrier, and didn't think it was important enough to mention to her. Yes I believe men should also be included in the vaccine. Most are not aware they could be carriers and it doesn't seem to be such a issue. But if they were there every step of the way with the person infected with it, I believe it might just change some minds.
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Permalink Reply by Marie on
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Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this issue - it must have been very hard for you and your daughter, going through the diagnosis.
You raise an excellent point: many people have HPV and may not even know it. Some people never show any symptoms, and without symptoms, there is no way to diagnose HPV in men. The only tests out there are for women. Unless a man develops genital warts as a result of HPV, he could spread the disease to many partners without even knowing it.
Perhaps if there was more awareness and education around this fact, men would be more interested in receiving the HPV vaccine.
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Permalink Reply by LaTasha Taylor on
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It's really sad how men think. Beleave it or not I did a disscussion on the HPV vaccine & most women were against it. Most mothers were against it for their daughters. My daugter will receive her 3 shot in October & I would have my son vaccinated. The first thing is to educate our self, then our children on precausions & the dangers on HPV's/Cervical Cancer. I lost a really good friend to Cervical Cancer. Had it been caught eairler, shed be alive. That's why I'm decated to educating my self, women, and our youth. Visit www.tiasway.com to see what our organization Tia's Way Inc. is all about.
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Permalink Reply by inLA on -
im currently looking for a doctor that WILL administer the HPV vaccine, unfortunately its extremely difficult.
personally i think all people should get the vaccine. i recently met a great girl and hit it off very well, unfortunately the relationship slowly went bad because she had HPV. As far as I know I dont have it and dontwish to get it. Now I would love to date her but my concern for getting HPV overrides that. If i could get the vaccine and ensure that im safe from getting infected then I could potentially get back with her.
Additionally the prospect of me getting HPV and giving it to somebody is very unappealing. The idea that I could give someone something that could potentially give someone cancer of even "bumps" is something that seems to be almost haunting me now. Needless to say that I dont think i'll be able to have a sexual relationship with someone until i get the vaccine. With so many doctors unwilling...that might take a little while.
As far as i know i do not have HPV, I have only had one sexual partner (my first time) years ago,
Needless to say that this HPV vaccine is something I definitely want. If needbe I plan to fly to the UK where they offerit to men (unless Canada does, but i dont believe they do).
The vaccine has become important to me.
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