Targeted vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) for men who have sex with men: barriers and facilitators Seminar

Men who have sex with men (MSM) do not benefit from female-only HPV vaccination at school and continue to experience the burden of HPV-related genital warts and anal cancer. To reduce such inequalities, targeted HPV vaccination programmes are being introduced in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as being currently piloted in England. Research shows that MSM have generally positive attitudes towards vaccinations, however, those who would benefit most from HPV vaccination are less likely to accept the vaccine. In addition, sexual healthcare professionals (HCPs) are uncertain about the effectiveness of HPV vaccination in adult sexually active men and a substantial proportion would hesitate to offer the vaccine to their patients. This seminar will explore HPV vaccine acceptability in MSM and HCPs, discussing potential barriers and facilitators.

Speaker information

Dr Tom Nadarzynski,Dr Tom Nadarzynski is a Lecturer in Health Psychology (Sexual Health) at the University of Southampton. Tom’s post is split between the University of Southampton and the Solent NHS Trust. He currently explores the use of digital technologies in sexual health. His current projects are: The use of social media in health promotion and research recruitment, Digital awareness campaigns about HPV vaccination for men who have sex with men, Access to STI screening for marginalised communities and Sexual identity and barriers to disclosure of same-sex experiences in healthcare settings.