Despite being available for more than a decade, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has received little attention in Texas. The goal of this study was to learn more about parents’ knowledge and attitudes regarding HPV and the HPV vaccination, as well as children’s experiences with the HPV vaccine, in a medically underserved, economically poor community. Researchers questioned parents/guardians of 4th–12th students in the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District as part of a Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas-funded research to increase HPV vaccination rates (RGCCISD). Parents’ knowledge and attitudes, as well as their children’s vaccination experiences, were described using descriptive statistics. Sixty-two of the 7,055 questionnaires distributed were returned. Approximately 84 per cent of those polled were female. Female RGCCISD students with an average age of 11.7 1.8 years were represented by 57.1 per cent of the parents/guardians. Overall, 43.9 per cent received a referral from a healthcare practitioner, and 32.5 per cent got their kid vaccinated. If the responder was female and had a female kid under the age of 15, the proportion was higher. According to study responses, 28.2 per cent started their child on the HPV vaccination series, and 18.8 per cent finished it. Work/school scheduling difficulties and a lack of healthcare provider recommendations were among the barriers to adoption.
There are still significant disparities in parents’ and students’ awareness of HPV vaccination, vaccination gender preferences, and provider recommendations. Future initiatives must focus on increasing understanding and awareness of HPV, the HPV vaccination, and HPV-related malignancies among males and minority communities.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2019.1628551
