The role of health beliefs in HPV vaccine uptake among young men during the Dutch catch-up campaign in 2023

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with the development of various cancers. An effective way to prevent HPV-related cancer is vaccination. In 2023, the Dutch government started a vaccination catch-up campaign in which, particularly, young men between the ages of 19 and 26 were invited to receive the HPV vaccine free of charge. This study aimed at estimating the relevance of the determinants proposed by the Health Belief Model (HBM) regarding HPV vaccine uptake among young men.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was completed by 155 Dutch young men aged 19-26 years. The HBM determinants perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers were measured along with HPV vaccine uptake as outcome. The relevance of the HBM determinants for HPV vaccine uptake was determined by confidence interval-based estimation of relevance (CIBER).

Results: In total, 54 participants got vaccinated since the start of the campaign. Perceived benefits and barriers were strongly related to vaccine uptake, while most young men perceived many benefits and little barriers. Perceived severity showed a moderate association with vaccine uptake, while most young men perceived the consequences of HPV infections as moderately severe. Perceived susceptibility was not significantly related to vaccine uptake.

Conclusion: Public health interventions should focus on increasing the perceived severity, while simultaneously reinforcing beliefs about many benefits and few barriers.