GMaP PILOT: 2020 GMaP Stimulus Award for Adebola Adegboyega: Black Adults Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes most cervical cancers and other HPV-related cancers. Despite the effectiveness of HPV preventive measures, they remain underutilized by non-Hispanic Blacks leading to preventive HPV related cancers for these at risk groups. Knowledge and beliefs regarding HPV and HPV related cancers may contribute to low perceived risk and susceptibility to HPV and HPV related cancers. To develop a culturally and contextually appropriate intervention for this at-risk population, it is critical to elucidate Black adults’ (aged 18-45 years) beliefs about HPV and HPV related cancers. Given the potential serious consequences of HPV infection and the vulnerability of racial and ethnic minorities to this threat, we will examine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to HPV, HPV vaccination, and HPV-related cancers among Black adults. The study is theoretically grounded in the Health Belief Model (HBM). We will focus on three Black subgroups: African Americans, African immigrants, and African Caribbeans for this study. Research personnel will recruit Black adults (n=45) and key informants (n=20) to take part in semi structured interviews. Interview sessions will be audio-recorded, transcribed and content analyzed for meaning, patterns, and themes. We anticipate that the proposed study will highlight knowledge gaps, attitudes, and beliefs hindering Blacks from utilizing available HPV and HPV-related cancers preventive measures. Findings will expand our body of knowledge and serve as foundation to create culturally and contextually appropriate interventions to reduce HPV and HPV related cancers disparities experienced by Blacks.