Lower Uptake of HPV Vaccine Seen for Girls With Mental Illness
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 5, 2024 -- Girls with mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions have lower uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, according to a study published in the September issue of The Lancet Public Health.
Kejia Hu, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study to examine the association of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions among girls and their parents with HPV vaccination uptake. All girls born between Jan. 1, 2002, and March 1, 2004, who were eligible for two vaccine doses were identified; the study population included 115,104 girls.
Overall, 1.9 percent of the girls had a specialist diagnosis of any mental health condition. The researchers found that uptake of the first HPV vaccine dose was 80.7 percent and was lower for those with versus without any mental health condition (adjusted relative risk, 0.89). The strongest associations with lower HPV vaccine uptake were seen for the diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability (adjusted relative risks, 0.79 and 0.78, respectively). Among girls with versus without prescribed use of psychotropic medication, vaccine uptake was lower (adjusted relative risk, 0.93); the strongest association was seen for antipsychotics (adjusted relative risk, 0.68). Second-dose uptake was 95.0 percent; no strong association was seen between second-dose uptake and mental health conditions in girls or their parents.
These findings "highlight the disparities in cervical cancer prevention among girls with mental health conditions, and call for future research to ensure equitable protection," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
35 Percent of Eligible Children Receive RSV Prophylaxis With Nirsevimab
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- Despite near universal availability of nirsevimab, only 35 percent of eligible children receive nirsevimab for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)...
Updated Guidance Improves Staging of HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- Version nine of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and Union for International Cancer Control staging system (AJCC9V) human papillomavirus...
2020 to 2024 Saw Drop in Flu Vaccine Uptake Among U.S. Adults
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- There was an overall decrease in influenza vaccine uptake among U.S. adults from 2020 to 2024, according to a study published online July 16 in PLOS...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.