Evaluating the Influence of Culture and Risk Perception on HPV Vaccination Intention among Haitian Immigrant Women Living with HIV

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Evaluating the Influence of Culture and Risk Perception on HPV Vaccination Intention among Haitian Immigrant Women Living with HIV PROJECT SUMMARY Cervical cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths among women living with HIV. Haitian immigrant women have one of the highest incidence rates of cervical cancer in the nation and are disproportionately affected by HIV. The dual disease burden of HIV and cervical cancer that Haitian immigrant women experience is critical to note as HIV significantly increases the risk of developing cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can be prevented through immunization with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, however HPV vaccine uptake in this community is excessively low despite their high risk. Research has noted a link between individuals’ perceived risk of cancer, and their intention of undergoing cancer prevention behaviors. Recent studies have highlighted a key role of affect (i.e. emotions), feelings, and thoughts, which are influenced by cultural worldviews, in the rapid, automatic formulation of cancer risk perceptions and cancer prevention behaviors. Studies have continuously highlighted the disparities in cervical cancer incidence rates among Haitian immigrant women, along with Haitian immigrant women’s low uptake of cervical cancer prevention measures. However, literature has been limited to date in evaluating the psychosocial and cultural factors that influence Haitian immigrant women’s intention of undergoing HPV vaccination. More specifically, cultural worldviews and affective risk perceptions towards HPV and cervical cancer, and the influence these factors have on HPV vaccination intention, are largely unexplored among Haitian immigrant women living with HIV. The aims of this study are: 1) To qualitatively explore cultural worldviews and affective risk perception on HPV vaccination intention. Cultural worldview items will be developed from qualitative data. 2) To examine whether predictors of HPV vaccination intention (e.g. cultural worldviews, affective risk perception, individual level factors) will differ among Haitian immigrant women based on HIV status 3) To converge qualitative and quantitative findings to understand how affective risk perceptions and cultural worldviews influence HPV vaccination intention among Haitian immigrant women. The contributions of the present proposal are significant as this study will be one of the first to comprehensively assess the role of risk perception as a motivator of health behaviors related to HPV vaccination in this high-risk community.