Latinas have the highest incidence of cervical cancer. Latino parents' perceptions of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and willingness to have their sons and daughters vaccinated in Utah is largely unknown. Latino parents/guardians of children ages 11-17 years were recruited from two community organizations (N = 52) to participate in a mini-survey and focus group. Guided by the social ecological framework, a Latina facilitator conducted five focus groups that were recorded, transcribed and translated. Descriptive statistics were calculated from the mini-survey. Two members of the research team performed inductive content analysis of the focus group transcriptions separately. Discrepancies were discussed and resolved during bi-weekly meetings with group members who were present during the focus groups. Parents reported low HPV vaccine knowledge, high vaccine costs, and lack of strong provider recommendations as the main barriers to vaccine receipt. Language appropriate educational resources and consistent provider recommendations may enrich Latino parents' perceptions about the HPV vaccine.

Current sources of publicly available human papillomavirus (HPV) information may not adequately meet the needs of diverse families. This study sought to describe associations between sociodemographic and acculturation factors, and sources of HPV information among diverse parents and caregivers. Community organizations purposively recruited participants from African American, African refugee, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities for a 21-item survey (N=228). 93 of these participants also participated in 10 focus groups conducted in three languages. Descriptive statistics and Fishers’ Exact Test for Count Data were produced and triangulated with focus group data to provide additional context. Overall, HPV vaccine awareness and knowledge in the five communities was low. This study found that a greater proportion of lower-acculturated participants had heard of HPV through personal networks (foreign-born=50% vs US-born=30%, p<0.05; medium acculturation=60% vs high acculturation=26%, p=0.01), while greater proportions of US-born participants reported media sources (49% vs foreign-born=29%, p<0.05). Across communities, healthcare system sources were described as important and preferred sources of HPV information. Hearing about the HPV vaccine from healthcare settings was significantly associated with increased accuracy in HPV vaccine knowledge (p<0.05). Communities described a need for more in-depth information about the HPV vaccine, and culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials. Culturally-competent delivery of HPV information through the healthcare system sources may be important in improving knowledge and acceptability of the HPV vaccine among diverse families.

Introduction: This study assesses the sociodemographic facilitators and barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for diverse teens in a region with low HPV vaccination rates.Materials and Methods: In this community-based participatory research study, we surveyed adult family members of teens aged 11–17 years from African American, African refugee, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community groups in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bivariate analyses assessed associations between sociodemographic characteristics and, respectively, HPV vaccine receipt and intentions for vaccination. Barriers to vaccination were also investigated.Results: Only 20% of participants had vaccinated at least one of their children with at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. HPV vaccination was significantly related to caregiver age (p=0.035), race/ethnicity (p=0.001), educational attainment (p=0.006), annual household income (p=0.0454), years in the United States (p=0.023), and caregiver parent birthplace (p=0.008). Among caregivers with unvaccinated children, intention to vaccinate was significantly related to race/ethnicity (p=0.048 for daughters; p=0.003 for sons), caregiver parent birthplace (p=0.023 for sons), health insurance coverage (p=0.028 for daughters; p=0.047 for sons), and type of health insurance coverage (p=0.008 for sons). The most frequently cited barriers to HPV vaccination were lack of knowledge about the HPV vaccine, costs, side effects, and child not being sexually active.Conclusions: Our results show substantially lower HPV vaccine coverage than both national and state rates, signaling the urgent need for multipronged HPV vaccination interventions within these communities; strategies are discussed.