Low human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among women engaged in HIV care in Ontario, Canada

Women living with HIV are at higher risk for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related dysplasia and cancers and thus are prioritized for HPV vaccination. We measured HPV vaccine uptake among women engaged in HIV care in Ontario, Canada, and identified socio-demographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics associated with HPV vaccination. During annual interviews from 2017 to 2020, women participating in a multi-site, clinical HIV cohort responded to a cross-sectional survey on HPV vaccine knowledge and receipt. We used logistic regression to derive age-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for factors associated with self-reported vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) or series completion (3 doses). Among 591 women (median age = 48 years; interquartile range = 40–56 years), 13.2% (95%CI = 10.5–15.9%) had received ≥1 dose. Of those vaccinated, 64.6% had received 3 doses. Vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) was significantly higher among women aged 20–29 years at 31.0% but fell to 13.9% in those aged 30–49 years and