ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the prevalence and barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among 11-18 year olds in the Hawai'i's four major ethnic groups-Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, Japanese, and Caucasians. Study design: A telephone survey assessed parents' knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccine, status of their child's HPV vaccine uptake, variables operationalizing the Health Belief Model, and barriers and motivators to uptake. Results: Across the groups, 799 parents completed the survey. About 35% of daughters and 19% of sons had received all three shots. Although ethnic differences in vaccine uptake were seen in bivariate analysis (with significantly lower uptake in Filipino youth), in multivariable logistic regression analysis, only Caucasian parents were significantly less likely to start their sons on the HPV vaccine series compared with Japanese parents (reference group). Having heard about the vaccine, believing in its effectiveness, and older age of the child were also associated with vaccine uptake. Motivators for HPV vaccination were physician's recommendation and wanting to protect one's child. The primary barrier to uptake was lack of knowledge about the vaccine. Conclusions: Findings reinforce the fact that a physician's recommendation and receipt of information about the vaccine are strong motivators for parents to vaccinate their children, regardless of ethnicity.
Subject(s)
Asian/statistics & numerical data , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Papillomavirus Infections/prevention & control , Papillomavirus Vaccines/therapeutic use , Parents/psychology , White People/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Asian/psychology , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Hawaii , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Japan/ethnology , Male , Motivation , Papillomavirus Infections/psychology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Philippines/ethnology , Physician-Patient Relations , Surveys and Questionnaires , Vaccination/psychology , Vaccination/statistics & numerical data , White People/psychologyABSTRACT
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent cervical and other cancers. Unfortunately, according to the National Immunization Survey-Teen 2014 data, completion of the HPV vaccine was only 38 % for 13- to 17-year-old girls and 31 % for 13- to17-year-old boys in the USA, and prevalence was similar in Hawai'i. Parents' acceptability of the HPV vaccine is critical for the vaccine uptake, and this can be increased by educational materials and interventions. However, HPV materials are not widely distributed in Hawai'i. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify HPV vaccination barriers, motivators, and brochure preferences among parents of teens in multicultural Hawai'i. Twenty parents were interviewed in person or by telephone. Four major themes emerged: (1) the physician is critical in the decision to vaccinate, (2) parental perception of the child's sexual activity guides the timing of their willingness to vaccinate, (3) HPV health education materials should be provided and discussed by the physician, and (4) parents would prefer an educational brochure that features local faces and testimonials, includes an immunization chart, and addresses barriers to vaccination. These findings informed the development of HPV health education materials tailored to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Hawai'i.
