ental Decision Making about the HPV Vaccine

wnloaded kground: Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are available, but uptake is suboptimal. ation on factors influencing parental decisions regarding vaccination will facilitate the development of sful interventions. thods: Parents of girls ages 9 to 17 years (n = 476; cooperation rate = 67%) from a panel of U.S. housecompleted online surveys between September 2007 and January 2008, documenting vaccine knowledge, es, and intentions. ults: Among those aware of the vaccine, 19% had already vaccinated their daughter(s), 34% intended were undecided, and 24% had decided against vaccination. Awareness of HPV was high but knowlevels were suboptimal (mean 72%, SEM 0.8%). Black and Hispanic parents were significantly less likely aware of the vaccine compared with White parents. In multivariate analyses, compared with parents pposed vaccination, those who had already vaccinated their daughter(s) or who intended to do so had positive attitudes, reported fewer barriers, and were more likely to perceive that family and friends endorse vaccination. They also reported higher levels of trust in pharmaceutical companies that ce the vaccine. clusions: Despite limited knowledge, most parents had decided to vaccinate their daughter(s). Given ce of diminished access to information among Black and Hispanic parents, programs should focus on ng these groups. Interventions should address parental concerns about behavioral consequences, retructural barriers, and promote the perception that vaccination is endorsed by significant others. Morenterventions may need to address mistrust of pharmaceutical companies. act Statement: This study documents factors associated with parental decisions about HPV vaccination Imp for their daughter(s) and provides direction for intervention development. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19 (9); 2187–98. ©2010 AACR.