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Awareness of human papillomavirus infection among Indigenous males in North America and Oceania: a Scoping Review

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Abstract

Purpose

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most commonly transmitted sexually transmitted infection. HPV infections have been on the rise among males, especially in the form of oropharyngeal cancer. Despite this, there is a gap in healthcare guidelines to increase HPV vaccine administration among males. In this study, we focus on the Indigenous population of North America and Oceania to determine existing barriers resulting in low HPV vaccination rates among the population.

Method

We surveyed peer-reviewed literature on the awareness of HPV infection among Indigenous males in North America and Oceania. Using keywords HPV plus male, men or boy, and ethnical filters such as Indigenous, Aboriginal or First Nations, we retrieved 54 articles based on titles, of which 15 were included after reading the abstracts.

Results

Reported HPV awareness was generally low in Indigenous males in North America, with no peer-reviewed data from Oceania. The lower understanding by males compared to females was largely attributable to misconceptions about HPV-related diseases, their transmission, and prevention. Lack of awareness and concern toward the risk of contracting HPV infection in Indigenous males suggests an impediment in disseminating health information about this cancer-causing virus.

Conclusion

Culturally sensitive education, with emphasis on Indigenous males, is needed to improve this group’s HPV knowledge. Researchers should also engage meaningfully with Indigenous communities by building rapport to achieve a positive change in attitude.

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Availability of data and material

Data related to the study are available upon request.

Code availability

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Funding

This work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) with IZ being the nominated Principal Investigator (CIHR # MOP— 119344).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B5E1, Canada

    Simran Bedi, Robert Strachan & Ingeborg Zehbe

  2. Probe Development and Biomarker Exploration, Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

    Robert Strachan & Ingeborg Zehbe

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  1. Simran Bedi
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  2. Robert Strachan
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Contributions

IZ conceived the idea and worked on the introduction with SB and RS, conducted literature reviews and drafted results. IZ, SB, and RS reviewed and finalized the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Simran Bedi.

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Bedi, S., Strachan, R. & Zehbe, I. Awareness of human papillomavirus infection among Indigenous males in North America and Oceania: a Scoping Review. Cancer Causes Control 35, 437–449 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-023-01804-w

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