Alaska Native adolescent views on cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV), genital warts and the quadrivalent HPV vaccine

Abstract

Objectives. To understand the knowledge levels, attitudes and perceptions of Alaska Native adolescent girls about cervical cancer, HPV, genital warts and the HPV vaccine. Study design. A qualitative study. Methods. Seventy-nine in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescent females aged 11 through 18 years in 4 communities in Alaska. The convenience sample was recruited through word of mouth, posters and flyers distributed in community schools, medical clinics and stores. Results. Many of those surveyed didn't know the purpose of a vaccine and were not familiar with basic knowledge about HPV, genital warts and cervical cancer. After learning about cervical cancer and HPV, most teens felt that someone their age had an average likelihood of contracting the diseases and that having the disease would be quite bad. Most teens said they were interested in vaccination. When asked if they would get a vaccine, older teens most commonly cited concerns about side effects or doubts about vaccine efficacy, while younger teens were afraid the shot would hurt. Most teens stated that they preferred to learn about health topics such as these through television programming, followed by the Internet, brochures and posters. Conclusions. The findings provide valuable information on how to inform adolescents about the vaccine and alleviate their concerns. The design of an educational campaign should vary depending on the age of the adolescents. For younger teens, distribution of information should be at school using a brochure or curriculum, while for older teens a web page may be more appropriate.

Racial and Ethnic Group Knowledge, Perceptions and Behaviors about Human Papillomavirus, Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, and Cervical Cancer among Adolescent Females

“…These observations corroborate previous studies that documented a high prevalence of having heard of HPV and/or the HPV vaccine, 17–19 but also revealed a lack of enough knowledge base to make a fully informed decision about HPV vaccination. 20,21 …”

“…The importance of fears of serious side effects has been reinforced in surveys of adolescents 20,28 and parents 29,30 that have documented that fear about safety of these relatively new vaccines are a major reason for HPV vaccine refusal.…”

Comparatively low attendance during Human Papillomavirus catch-up vaccination among teenage girls in the Netherlands: Insights from a behavioral survey among parents

“…It has been shown that different information sources may be preferred by girls of different age [18,19]. For example, information provided by health care professionals and mass media (television, the internet) seemed to be a preferred source of information among older teenage girls (15- to 18- or 19-years-old) while younger teenagers (11- or 12- to 14-years-old) had more trust in schools, teachers and family [18,19]. Guidance about HPV and HPV vaccination could therefore be provided through the preferred sources of information for different age groups.…”

The Arctic Human Health Initiative: a legacy of the International Polar Year 2007–2009

“…Participants identified at least 4 areas of mutual interest, including but not limited to (a) perinatal health systems and challenges (99,100); (b) infectious disease, particularly HPV and the new vaccine (35,36,101); (c) interpersonal violence prevention; and (d) health communication and health literacy (102). The Women's Health Working group maintains an active list of ~60 members to share resources and opportunities and sponsored a pre-congress seminar on Health Literacy and Northern Women's Health in Fairbanks in August 2012 that attracted ~50 participants.…”