"They're Doing Something That Actually No One Else Can Do": A Qualitative Study of Peer Support and Primary Care Integration.

Peer support (PS) is a strategy for improving quality of care for people with chronic disease and is increasingly being integrated with primary care. We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 18 staff members from 4 practices that have integrated PS and primary care. From these interviews, we identified several benefits of PS and primary care integration as well as challenges to integrating and sustaining PS programs. We also identified key considerations and strategies for facilitating integration. Strategies for developing messaging to promote understanding of the unique role of peer supporters are discussed.

Effects of a Presidential Candidate's Comments on HPV Vaccine.

During and after the 2011 Republican presidential debate, a candidate questioned the safety of HPV vaccine. The authors aimed to determine the effect of these comments on parents. A national sample of 327 parents with adolescent sons ages 11-17 years completed online surveys in fall 2010 (baseline, about 1 year before the debate) and 2011 (follow-up, about 1 month after the debate). The authors used regression models to examine the association of parents' awareness of the candidate's comments with HPV vaccine initiation among their sons, their willingness to get sons free HPV vaccine, and their beliefs about potential harms of HPV vaccine. Overall, 17% of parents reported hearing about the Republican presidential candidate's comments about HPV vaccine. Parents aware of the comments had a larger increase between baseline and follow-up in the belief that HPV vaccine might cause short-term health problems compared with parents who were not aware. Although the candidate's comments may have increased some parents' beliefs about the short-term harms of HPV vaccine, the comments had no effect on other beliefs, willingness to vaccinate, or behavior. Having accurate information about HPV vaccine that is readily available to the public during such controversies may diminish their effect.

Parents' and sons' beliefs in sexual disinhibition after human papillomavirus vaccination.

BACKGROUND: The concern that adolescent girls who receive human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may be more likely to have sex (ie, sexual disinhibition) has been commonplace in media coverage, but this belief is not held by many parents of adolescent girls. Because no studies have addressed this topic for adolescent boys, we examined parents' and their adolescent sons' beliefs in sexual disinhibition occurring after boys receive HPV vaccine. METHODS: A national sample of parents of adolescent boys (n = 547) and their sons (aged 15-17 years; n = 176) completed online surveys in fall 2010. We used multi-item scales to measure parents' and sons' beliefs in sexual disinhibition after HPV vaccination. We used multivariate linear regression to identify correlates of beliefs in sexual disinhibition. RESULTS: Less than a quarter of parents or sons agreed with statements suggesting that HPV vaccination leads to sexual disinhibition among adolescent boys (range, 20%-24%). Parents who had more liberal political affiliations (ß = -0.11), had a daughter who had received HPV vaccine (ß = -0.12), or had no daughter (ß = -0.10) reported weaker beliefs in sexual disinhibition. Parents who reported higher anticipated regret if their sons got HPV vaccine and fainted (ß = 0.18) indicated stronger beliefs in sexual disinhibition. Sons who perceived higher peer acceptance of HPV vaccination (ß = 0.44) or were Hispanic (ß = 0.21) had stronger beliefs in sexual disinhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Most parents and sons did not believe that HPV vaccination leads to sexual disinhibition among boys. Understanding the characteristics of parents and sons who hold these beliefs may help inform efforts to increase HPV vaccine uptake among boys.