The Impact of Parental Attitudes and Beliefs on the Decision to Vaccinate Daughters with the HPV Vaccine

Background: The HPV vaccine has the potential to significantly reduce worldwide cervical cancer rates. Elucidating factors that influence HPV vaccine acceptance and uptake is important, especially given low uptake rates in the U.S.

Objectives: To identify predictors of HPV vaccine uptake among African American mothers and daughters following a brief informational intervention.

Methods: African American mothers and their unvaccinated daughters (N = 96) completed a computer-administered survey assessing demographics, health behaviors, and standardized measures of HPV vaccine knowledge and attitudes. Participants then received a brief, computer-administered intervention that highlighted the benefits of vaccination, and were subsequently invited to consider vaccination at a free vaccination site. Vaccine uptake was assessed approximately 9 months post assessment by review of vaccine registry data maintained by the county health department.

Results: At follow-up, 23% had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. There were no behavioral or attitudinal differences in vaccine uptake among adolescent participants. Among mothers, exposure to HPV vaccine ads (p < .05), greater HPV knowledge (p < .05), and greater perceived HPV severity (p < .01) predicted vaccine uptake. Stigmatizing beliefs about STD vaccination (p < .05) and the belief that the HPV vaccine promotes sexual activity (p < .05) were predictive of failure to vaccinate.

Conclusions: Overall, HPV vaccination rates were low.  Parents’ vaccine attitudes were  significant predictors of HPV vaccine uptake among daughters, indicating the importance of parental decision-making in child vaccination. Familiarity with the vaccine, increased HPV knowledge, and greater perceived severity of HPV were associated with vaccine uptake among daughters. STD vaccine stigma and vaccine promiscuity beliefs were barriers to daughter’s vaccine uptake.

Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: Public health programming should seek to increase public awareness of HPV and its consequences among African American parents and attempt to minimize stigmatizing beliefs about the vaccine.