Vaccinating Children for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

The public health problem of ensuring that teens and preteens receive the HPV vaccination series justified this study, using a convenience sample (N=122) of parents, 68 of whom were English-speaking parents (ESP) and 54 were Spanish-speaking parents (SSP). Among ESP, 94.1% (n=64) were females and 5.9% (n=4) were males. Among SSP, 98.1% (n=53) were females and 1.9% (n=1) was male. The mean age for ESP (n=68) was 41.16 years (min=27, max=72, SD=6.72). The mean age for SSP (n=54) was 38.72 years (min=26, max=55, SD =7.31). About 44.1% (n=30) of ESP were Hispanic/ Latino, and 98.1% (n=53) of SSP were Hispanic/Latino. Using backward stepwise regression analysis, in the whole sample (N=122), significant predictors of parents being in an action or maintenance stage for making sure their children received the HPV vaccination was predicted by: if child had received HPV vaccination (β=1.714, SEB=.599, p=.000) and yearly household income (β=.142, SEB=.200, p=.007) in a model accounting for 40.5% of the variance (R2=.420, AdjR2=.405). This study determined that a linguistically and culturally tailored (i.e., in English or Spanish) video on HPV and HPV vaccination of preteens and teens served as a brief online e-health intervention that was associated with significant parental movement across the stages of change (i.e., from precontemplation or contemplation stage, to preparation stage) and increased self-efficacy for three key behaviors: (1) talking to a pediatrician or family practice medical provider about the Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the HPV vaccination for children; (2) making sure their preteen and teen children receive the HPV vaccination; and (3) making sure their preteen and teen children receive all required doses (e.g., at least two or three doses) of the HPV vaccination. Also, 89.5% (n=17) of healthcare providers recommended the video. Qualitative data produced themes for recommending the video and improving it. Recommendations for an evaluation of the video intervention using a nationally representative sample are advanced, along with implications for widely disseminating and evaluating a new evidence-based approach codified in the video.