Views on HPV and HPV Vaccination: The Experience at a Federal Qualified Clinic in Puerto Rico

• Published in: Journal of health care for the poor and underserved Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 1411 - 1426
• Main Authors: Colón-López, Vivian, Toro-Mejías, Lizbeth M. Del, Conde-Toro, Alexandra, Serra-Rivera, Michelle J, Martínez, Tania M, Rodríguez, Verónica, Ríos, Ana M, Berdiel, Luis, Villanueva, Héctor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Johns Hopkins University Press 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Attitudes; Capacity building approach; Capacity development; Child; Children & youth; Communication skills; Cross-Sectional Studies; Decision making; Female; Genital cancers; Health education; Health information; Health insurance; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hispanic Americans; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Immunization; Infections; Initiation; Male; Males; Medical personnel; Men; Mens health; Minority & ethnic groups; Papillomavirus Infections - ethnology; Papillomavirus Infections - psychology; Papillomavirus Vaccines - administration & dosage; Parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Puerto Rico; Questionnaires; Safety-net Providers; Socioeconomic Factors; Sons; Studies; Vaccination; Vaccines; Variables; Young men; United States > US
• ISSN: 1049-2089; 1548-6869; 1548-6869
• DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2016.0126

The purpose of this study was to understand through a quantitative assessment, the views of HPV and HPV vaccination among parents of sons from a FQHC in PR. A self-administered questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of 200 parents of sons 9-17 years old. Nearly 30% of the parents reported that their sons had initiated the HPV vaccine regimen. Health care provider recommendation was significantly associated with vaccine initiation. Among parents of unvaccinated sons, the main reason for not getting the HPV vaccine was they did not know that boys were allowed to get the vaccine. Future efforts should focus on multilevel interventions aimed to increase knowledge as well as other modified behavioral determinants in parents of young males about HPV and the vaccine. Capacity building efforts should be targeted also to increase health providers' education and communication skills to promote HPV vaccination effectively.