Does human papillomavirus vaccination status differ by disability status in New York city public schools?

High rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination could eliminate cervical cancer and reduce other HPV-related morbidity. Studies outside of the United States (US) have found lower HPV vaccine uptake among adolescents with Autism and/or intellectual disability (ID) than their peers. This cross-sectional analysis of all 2022-23 New York City (NYC) public school students aged 13-21 used official vaccination records and Individual Educational Plan (IEP) statuses to assess whether HPV vaccination differed for students with Autism, ID, or other IEP conditions compared to no IEP, with COVID-19 vaccination as a control outcome. We used multivariable Poisson regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for vaccination status by disability, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. The sample comprised 365,167 students; 2.5% had Autism, 0.9% ID and 19.2% another IEP status. In total, 80.5% had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine and 70.8% one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Students with Autism were less likely (aPR 0.89, 99% CI 0.88, 0.91) and students with ID were as likely (aPR 1.02, 99% CI 1.00, 1.04) to have received an HPV vaccine as those with no IEP, with no differences by IEP status for COVID-19 vaccination. Targeted outreach and education on the HPV vaccine is needed for adolescents with Autism in NYC public schools. Future research should assess barriers to HPV vaccination among this population.