(0657) HPV and Head and Neck Cancer Awareness, Education at the Missouri State Fair: Continued Outreach

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) related oropharyngeal cancer is the most common HPV related malignancy in the United States, yet the public lacks knowledge regarding head and neck (HN) cancer, its association with HPV, and its preventability with vaccination. Providing educational intervention from medical professionals is an important step toward increasing public knowledge and intention to vaccinate.

Methods: A HN cancer screening event at the 2023 Missouri State Fair was utilized to assess and increase knowledge about HN cancer and HPV. A pre-educational questionnaire, which included demographic data and attitude toward HPV vaccination, was followed by a short educational intervention before screening. A post-educational questionnaire assessed subjective knowledge gain on a Likert scale and changes in attitude toward HPV vaccination.

Results: In total, 71 participants completed pre and post-education surveys. Subjective knowledge of HPV increased from 2.2 to 4.1 (p < 0.001) and from 2 to 4.1 (p < 0.001) for HN cancer. Of the total, 16 (22.5%) participants reported a positive attitude change towards vaccination, and 58 (80.6%) would recommend the vaccine after our educational intervention. Surprisingly, only 16 (22.5%) participants reported a provider had ever mentioned HPV, and only 6 (8.5%) had mentioned a connection between HPV and throat cancer.

Conclusions: Our short educational intervention increased subjective knowledge about HN cancer and HPV as well as improved attitude toward and willingness to recommend HPV vaccination.