Project description:BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage remains suboptimal in the United States, underscoring the importance of monitoring trends in vaccine hesitancy.MethodsCross-sectional data from the 2011-2020 National Immunization Survey-Teen were used to assess trends in HPV vaccination initiation among 13-17-year-olds, parental intent to initiate vaccination, and primary reasons for parental hesitancy.ResultsAmong all sex and race and ethnicity groups, the prevalence of HPV vaccination initiation increased over time, but parental intent to vaccinate against HPV for unvaccinated teens remained consistently low (≤45%). Among hesitant parents, "safety concerns" increased in nearly all demographic groups, with the greatest increases observed for non-Hispanic white female and male teens and no change for non-Hispanic black female teens. In 2019-2020, parents of unvaccinated non-Hispanic white teens were least likely to intend on vaccinating their teens, and the most common reason for hesitancy varied by sex and race and ethnicity (eg, "safety concerns" for white teens and "not necessary" for black female teens).ConclusionsAlthough HPV vaccination initiation increased over time, a substantial fraction of parents remain hesitant, and trends in their reason varied by sex and race and ethnicity. Health campaigns and clinicians should address vaccine safety and necessity.
Project description:Cervical cancer can be prevented by human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. However, parents can have concerns about vaccinating their daughters. Consequently, there is a need to identify prevalence and risk factors for HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents in Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among parents with children aged 9-14 years attending a leading referral hospital in Kenya. Data on sociodemographic traits, HPV knowledge, beliefs and vaccine hesitancy were collected. Out of 195 participants, 183 (93.5%) were aged >30 years. Thirty-four (46.4%) of males and 39 (35.1%) of females did not know that the vaccine is given to prevent HPV infection. Encouragingly, levels of vaccine acceptance were high (90%) although one-third (37.9%) had a negative perception about the effectiveness of the vaccine, with vaccine hesitancy attributed to safety concerns (76%) and feelings that the child was too young (48%). Positive beliefs and knowledge of the vaccine were positively associated with parental willingness to vaccinate their children. Low levels of parenteral education and a younger age among mothers were negatively associated with willingness to vaccinate. Most parents (59%) would consult their daughters before vaccination, and 77% (n = 150) recommended early sex education. Despite low knowledge levels, there was high parental willingness to have their children vaccinated.
Project description:BackgroundSuboptimal human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates persist among adolescents in the United States (U.S.). New Jersey (NJ), among the top, most racially/ethnically diverse states in the U.S., had among the lowest HPV vaccine initiation rates, prior to 2018. This study examined parental HPV vaccine knowledge and adolescent HPV vaccine initiation among multiethnic parents in NJ, where access to language concordant HPV vaccine information and vaccination services may differ, for immigrant parents.MethodsWe surveyed parents of adolescents (ages 11-18) at community events in NJ to examine parental HPV vaccine knowledge and adolescent HPV vaccine uptake. Vaccine knowledge was assessed using an 11-item question stem that covered vaccine efficacy, gender recommendation, vaccine protection, and myths. Multivariable models assessed the association of parent nativity on HPV vaccine knowledge scores and adolescent HPV vaccine initiation, controlling for sociodemographic factors.ResultsOf the 77 parents, most parents (84%) were aware of the HPV vaccine. However, knowledge scores were low and differed by parent nativity. Non-U.S. born parents had significantly lower knowledge scores - 1.7 [- 3.1, - 0.4] and lower odds of adolescent children initiating the HPV vaccine 0.3 [0.1, 0.9] compared to U.S.-born parents after adjusting demographic characteristics.ConclusionsOur findings reveal that parental HPV vaccine knowledge remains low among suburban dwelling, immigrant parents, even though they have higher education and access to health care. Multilevel strategies to reduce missed opportunities for HPV vaccine education among parents and HPV vaccination for adolescents are needed, including for suburban, immigrant communities.
Project description:BackgroundHPV vaccine hesitancy is a key contributor to the sub-optimal HPV vaccination uptake in the United States. We aimed to determine the association between healthcare providers' self-efficacy in HPV vaccination hesitancy counseling and HPV vaccination acceptance after initial and follow-up counseling sessions.MethodsPopulation-based cross-sectional study of healthcare providers (HCPs) practicing in Texas. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the odds of HPV vaccination acceptance by vaccine-hesitant patients. Additionally, generalized estimating equations were used to compare HPV vaccination acceptance by hesitant patients after follow-up versus initial counseling sessions.Results1283 HCPs completed the survey with a mean (SD) age of 47.1 (11.3) years. HCPs who believed that they were very/completely confident in counseling HPV-vaccine-hesitant parents had higher odds of observing HPV vaccination acceptance very often/always after an initial counseling session (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.50; 95% CI: 2.25-5.44) and after follow-up counseling sessions (AOR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.66-4.00) compared to HCPs that perceived they were not at all/somewhat/moderately confident. The odds of HPV vaccination being accepted very often/always by vaccine-hesitant parents was 61% (AOR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.32-1.95) higher after follow-up counseling sessions compared to an initial counseling session. The results were similar for the counseling of HPV-vaccine-hesitant adult patients.ConclusionsThe confidence level of HCPs in counseling hesitant parents and adult patients impacts HPV vaccination acceptance. Importantly, acceptance was higher after follow-up counseling sessions than initial counseling sessions. HCPs should receive training in HPV vaccination counseling to enhance their confidence in counseling hesitant patients and should utilize every visit to counsel hesitant patients.
Project description:Evidence for the validity and reliability of the World Health Organization's 10-item vaccine hesitancy scale (VHS) in different settings is not sufficient, especially for criteria validity. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the VHS using child vaccination data in China. A cross-sectional survey was performed with parents of 19-48-month-old children at six vaccination clinics in Wuxi City between September and October 2020. The VHS was revised to category A (expanded program on immunization, EPI) VHS and category B (Non-EPI) VHS. Factor analysis was used to confirm the latent domain and to assess the model structure. The average variance extracted (AVE) was calculated to assess convergent validity, and Cronbach's α and composite reliability (CR) were used to determine internal consistency. The association between VHS scores and children's vaccination status was examined to assess criteria validity using logistic regression. The survey response rate was 75.3% (n = 802). Two factors were identified, explaining 64.60% and 63.34% of the common variance in categories A and B VHS, respectively. The Cronbach's α of > 0.7 and CR of >0.7 in the scale indicated the VHS has acceptable internal consistency. The AVE values indicated that convergent validity was not ideal for the VHS. There were no statistically significant associations between VHS scores and vaccination status, indicating that the criterion validity was not ideal. The VHS needs improvement before becoming a standard survey tool.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Parental reports are commonly used for adolescent HPV vaccination status but may be subjected to bias. Guided by the Socioecological Framework, our study explores potential multilevel factors influencing the inaccuracy of parental reports of adolescent HPV vaccination status. METHODS:Data from parents of 19,683 adolescents with provider-verified data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Correlates included adolescent characteristics, parent/household factors, number of providers seen, state-level median income, and state-level HPV vaccine policy. Outcomes included inaccuracy in reporting: vaccine initiation (?1 dose), completion (3 doses), and number of doses. RESULTS:24% and 25% of parents reported initiation and completion inaccurately; 28% under-reported and 11% over-reported number of doses. All adolescent characteristics, parent/household factors, and number of healthcare providers seen were associated with the outcomes. Of note, compared to parents of White adolescents, parents of racial/ethnic minority adolescents were more likely to inaccurately report all outcomes (aOR ranges from 1.43 to 1.76 for initiation, 1.45-1.75 for completion, 1.98-2.05 for under-reporting, and 1.17-1.41 for over-reporting). Households with higher maternal education (aOR?=?0.70, 0.92, 0.79, and 0.80) and income (aOR?=?0.54, 0.62, 0.50, and 0.70) were less likely to inaccurately report initiation, report completion, under-report, and over-report, respectively. Those having seen more providers were less likely to inaccurately report initiation and completion but more likely to over-report number of vaccine doses. DISCUSSION:Being parents of females, older adolescents, and racial/ethnic minority adolescents, having lower material education, and poverty status were associated with higher odds of inaccurately reporting HPV vaccination status. These results have implications for estimates drawn from self-reports. Future research can examine sources of inaccuracies (e.g., social desirability or health literacy); they could also explore solutions (e.g., access to vaccine records) that can help parents accurately report vaccination status. State policy does not appear to have an impact on report accuracy.
Project description:Europe is increasingly described as the region in the world with the least confidence in vaccination, and particularly in the safety of vaccines. The aim of this systematic literature review was to gather and summarise all peer-reviewed and grey literature published about determinants of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine hesitancy in Europe. Ten thematic categories were identified across the 103 articles which were included in the review. Participants from European studies most commonly reported issues with the quantity and quality of information available about HPV vaccination; followed by concerns about potential side effects of the vaccine; and mistrust of health authorities, healthcare workers, and new vaccines. Comparative analyses indicated that confidence determinants differed by country and population groups. This evidence supports the need to develop context-specific interventions to improve confidence in HPV vaccination and design community engagement strategies aiming to build public trust.
Project description:IntroductionCOVID-19 is a deadly worldwide pandemic and has led to rapid vaccine development. Vaccinating children is a key step to ending the pandemic.MethodThis project used a pretest-posttest design to determine if a 1-hr webinar improved parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The webinar was streamed live and later posted to YouTube. Parental vaccine hesitancy was measured by an adapted version of the Parental Attitudes about Childhood Vaccine survey for COVID-19 vaccines. Parental Attitudes about Childhood Vaccine data were collected during the live session and from YouTube for 4 weeks after the original webinar air date.ResultsAfter calculating a Wilcoxon signed rank test to measure the change of vaccine hesitancy before (median, 40.00) and after (median, 28.50) the webinar, there was a statistically significant difference (z = 0.003, p = .05).DiscussionThe webinar demonstrated improved vaccine hesitancy and provided scientifically based vaccine information to parents.
Project description: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.MethodsFrom December 2019 - January 2020, caregivers of adolescents (ages 9-17 years) living in thirteen 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 outcome was adolescents' receipt of at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.ResultsCaregivers with vaccinated adolescents had greater positive attitudes towards adolescent vaccines 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.ConclusionsPublic health messaging in the southern US should be tailored to reduce concerns about vaccine safety and to communicate the importance of timely HPV vaccination. Campaigns that deliver information 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.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effect of vaccine hesitancy screening on childhood vaccine uptake. METHODS:We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in pediatric primary care clinics in Washington state. Vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs) with a healthy newborn receiving health supervision at participating clinics were eligible. VHPs were identified by using a 4-item version of the validated Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines Survey (PACV). Before their child's 2- and 6-month health supervision visits, VHPs at intervention clinics completed the 15-item PACV embedded in a survey containing placebo items. Intervention providers received a summary of parents' 15-item PACV responses and interpretation of their PACV score; discretion was given to providers regarding how they acted on this information. VHPs at control clinics completed only the placebo survey items, and their child's provider received a summary of their responses; control providers remained blinded to parent VHP status. Our outcome was child immunization status at 8 months of age expressed as percent of days underimmunized. We compared outcomes in control and intervention participants using t test and linear mixed-effects regression. RESULTS:We enrolled 24 clinics (12 in each arm) and 156 parents (65 in the intervention arm). Parent characteristics were similar across arms except more intervention (versus control) parents had a first-born child (60.9% vs 44%; P = .04). No significant difference in outcome was detected between arms (25.2% [95% confidence interval: 16.0% to 34.5%] vs 19.1% [95% confidence interval: 12.0% to 26.3%] mean days underimmunized in the intervention and control arms, respectively). CONCLUSION:Vaccine hesitancy screening was not significantly associated with days underimmunized.