A significant factor related to disparities in HPV vaccine receipt is place of residence. Higher vaccination rates have been reported in urban areas compared to rural areas. Specific reasons for the higher HPV vaccination rates in urban compared to rural places have been largely understudied. However, these differences in vaccination rates may be due to differences in individual parent/patient level factors (e.g., attitudes, beliefs, knowledge), healthcare level factors (e.g. provider recommendation, access to HPV vaccination, strategies for patient education) and/or geographic level factors (e.g., rates of poverty, ethnic density, access to primary care) in rural and suburban settings compared to urban settings. More social and behavioral research and evidence based interventions are needed to reduce barriers to HPV vaccination in rural and suburban settings and increase HPV vaccination among those least likely to receive the HPV vaccine in the United States.

Learning Objectives:

• To Explore Social, Cultural, and Instrumental Barriers to HPV vaccination that are Unique to Rural and Suburban Settings in the United States.
• To Discuss Evidence Based Strategies to Improve HPV Vaccination in Rural and Suburban Settings in the United States.
• To Examine where future research is needed in these areas.

Deanna Kepka, PhD,MPH will be the speaker at this event. Deanna Kepka is a Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) investigator and an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. She is a member of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences (CCPS) research group. Kepka is the Founder and Director of the Intermountain West HPV Vaccination Coalition and is the Director of Global and International Health for the College of Nursing at the University of Utah.

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