Abstract for: A System Dynamic Model of HPV Vaccinations Among Adolescent Boys in New York State

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. with million of new infections each year. Despite the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in protecting against strains that can cause cancer, uptake remains low, specifically among adolescent boys. Factor such as parental hesitancy and belief that the vaccine is not necessary for boys have impacted uptake of the vaccine. The objective is to examine strategies that can increase vaccinations among adolescent boys in New York State. This study is a modification of a previously developed System Dynamics (SD) model which incorporates parental hesitancy, provider recommendation, and vaccination of adolescent boys. Using data from the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) and Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR), we validated the model and examine how provider recommendation and word of mouth may influence uptake of the HPV vaccine. Preliminary results suggests that provider recommendation have the strongest impact on uptake of the HPV vaccine. The impact of word of mouth was minimal in increasing uptake. The increase in uptake of the vaccine from the combination of both strategies was driven mostly by provider recommendation. The preliminary findings suggests provider recommendation may have the highest impact on uptake of the vaccine. As we continue to modify the model, these results may change. However, our hypothesis is that these results may be similar. As provider recommendations plateu, more research is needed to understand how to increase recommendations in order to increase uptake of the vaccine.