Alaska Native parental attitudes on cervical cancer, HPV and the HPV vaccine

Abstract

Objectives. To describe Alaska Native parents' knowledge of and attitudes towards cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine. Study Design. This was a qualitative study composed of 11 focus groups (n=80) that were held in 1 small village, towns and 1 large urban centre in Alaska. Methods. A convenience sample of Alaska Native parents/guardians was recruited in each community to participate in focus groups and to fill out a quantitative survey. Results. While many parents had heard about HPV, most were unaware of its link with cervical cancer. The majority wanted to vaccinate their daughters because they had health and safety concerns; believed that vaccines work; had personal experiences with cancer; or believed that their daughters were susceptible to HPV. Reasons for refusal included general concerns about vaccines; a need for more information; a fear of side effects; wanting more vaccine research; and a fear of being in an experimental trial. Conclusions. The majority of parents were interested in having their daughters vaccinated. Acceptance of the vaccine was primarily based on a parent's desire to protect her/his child from cancer; while reasons for refusal revolved around trust issues and fear of unknown negative consequences

Barriers and facilitators to HPV vaccination of young women in high-income countries: a qualitative systematic review and evidence synthesis

“…Parents raised concerns that the HPV vaccine might encourage earlier sexual debut, multiple sexual partners or complacency with regards to safe sexual health practices [49,56]: “ I think maybe something like that you might take for granted and not get screenings , because it still says to get screenings , but you might just think , obviously a 12 or 13 year old might be like oh , ‘ I ’ ve had the vaccination now I ’ m fine ’ and not get screenings ” [Mother, UK] [49]. Other parents dismissed these viewpoints [52,54]: “ I don ’ t think it ’ ll encourage my daughter to go out and have sex. I don ’ t want her to have sex now.…”

“…She ’ s 14. I hope she has sex in the future and has kids and lives a normal life , but I don ’ t think it will encourage her to go act irrationally ” [Alaskan native father, USA] [52]. Personal experience of an HPV-related condition appeared to increase acceptance of the HPV vaccine [47-49,51,52,55,56]: “..…”

Effect of the decision-making process in the family on HPV vaccination rates among adolescents 9–17 years of age

“…13 In contrast, fathers from other ethnic groups are more likely than mothers to believe that the decision should be made by both parents. 14 Thus far, no studies have examined the association between the family's decision-making patterns for adolescent HPV vaccination and current vaccination status of the child. Understanding this process is important as it needs to be considered when designing intervention programs.…”

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

“…Cervical cancer HPV Genital warts 11-14 yrs 15-18 yrs 11-14 yrs 15-18 yrs 11-14 yrs 15-18 yrs Likelihood of getting the disease (mean-scale of 1-10) 4.8 5.5 4.9 6 4.3 5.6 How bad would it be to get the disease (mean-scale of [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] 7.9 8.3 8 7.7 8 8…”

“…Those who were hesitant feared side effects and desired more testing of the vaccine before their daughters received it. Some parents also stated that they were influenced by their daughters' attitudes about getting vaccinated (1). These findings precipitated the second study in an effort to understand the attitudes and knowledge levels of adolescent females on this topic.…”