Correlations of HPV vaccine uptake among eight-grade students in Israel: the importance of ethnicity and level of religious observance

In Israel, human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines are included in the national childhood immunization program for eight-grade students, but uptake remains relatively low. This article explores which demographic factors are correlated with HPV vaccination rates. HPV vaccination data for the school year 2017–2018 was assessed among members of Maccabi Healthcare Services, the second largest health service provider in Israel. By matching eighth grade students to their family members’ demographic data via an electronic medical records (EMR) system, we assessed vaccination rates by taking into account sex, socioeconomic status (SES), ethnic categorization, and maternal characteristics. In a total of 45,160 eligible students, 55.3 percent of girls and 48.5 percent of boys were vaccinated for HPV. In a multivariable model, students in Arab communities had a significantly (p <.001) higher odds ratio (2.02; 95 percent CI:1.55–2.64) of being vaccinated, while ultra-orthodox (UO) Jewish students were much less likely to be vaccinated compared to all other students (OR = 0.05; 95 percent CI:0.05–0.06). Ethnicity and level of religious practice are major determinants of HPV vaccine uptake in Israel. This should be taken into account when planning intervention programs in order to improve the uptake of the vaccine.