Document Type
Article
Abstract
Background and objectives: HPV vaccination coverage is lower than that of other adolescent vaccines in the southern US. This study sought to characterize caregiver attitudes associated with adolescent HPV vaccination in the southern US and to inform interventions to promote HPV vaccination. Methods: From December 2019 – January 2020, caregivers of adolescents (ages 9–17 years) living in thir- teen southern US states were recruited from a nationally-representative online survey panel. Caregivers (N = 1,105) completed a cross-sectional survey that assessed general adolescent vaccine attitudes as well as those associated with the HPV vaccine and HPV vaccination decision-making. The primary study out- come was adolescents’ receipt of at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. Results: Caregivers with vaccinated adolescents had greater positive attitudes towards adolescent vacci- nes compared to caregivers of unvaccinated adolescents. Top three areas of concern among caregivers were related to vaccine ingredients, perceptions that adolescents receive too many vaccines, and worry about vaccine side effects. In multivariable regression models, positive attitudes towards the HPV vaccine and HPV vaccination decision-making strongly associated with HPV vaccination in addition to general adolescent vaccination attitudes. Caregivers’ reported discomfort with discussing the topic of sex was predictive of lower vaccination uptake for older adolescents. Conclusions: Public health messaging in the southern US should be tailored to reduce concerns about vac- cine safety and to communicate the importance of timely HPV vaccination. Campaigns that deliver infor- mation specific to the HPV vaccine and to support vaccination decision-making may be more effective than those delivering only general adolescent vaccination information at promoting on-time HPV vaccination
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Publication Info
Published in Vaccine: X, Volume 11, 2022, pages 100181-.
Rights
©2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
APA Citation
Vasudevan, L., Ostermann, J., Wang, Y., Harrison, S., Yelverton, V., & Fish, L. et al. (2022). Association of caregiver attitudes with adolescent HPV vaccination in 13 southern US states. Vaccine: X, 11, 100181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100181