Parents' health beliefs and HPV vaccination of their adolescent daughters

To Consent or Decline HPV Vaccination: A Pilot Study at the Start of the National School‐Based Vaccination Program in Sweden

“…Therefore, it is not hard to understand why these parents chose to decline. This is in line with other studies 20, 29, 42, 43. Parents want to make a decision they believe is in the best interest of their child 9, 44.…”

“…One way to overcome these barriers and to support parents to make a more favorable decision regarding vaccinations would be to invite hesitant parents to further discussions with school nurses or other health care professionals. This is important because health care professionals play a key role in providing information about HPV8, 48 and their recommendation has been identified as a trigger, or cue to action, for parents to consent to the HPV vaccination 20. This is in line with our recent school‐based educational intervention that indicates that the school nurse can act as a cue to action regarding HPV vaccination 49.…”

“…Other factors associated with their acceptance were a doctor's recommendation and the fact that they had agreed to previous childhood vaccinations 13. Parents who declined cited reasons such as concerns about side effects13, 20 and long‐term safety 19, 21. They also believed that their daughters were too young13, 21 or they did not perceive that there was a risk of HPV infection 21.…”

Parents who refuse or delay HPV vaccine: Differences in vaccination behavior, beliefs, and clinical communication preferences

“…By contrast, the only psychological correlate of vaccine delay was higher uncertainty, with parents' most common reason for delay being the need for more information. These findings suggest that HPV vaccine refusal may be motivated by specific and sometimes serious concerns that correspond to the Health Belief Model's constructs of perceived benefits and threats, 6,20 with delay stemming from a more generalized feeling of ambivalence. If so, persuading the "fence sitters" who delay may be a fairly straightforward matter of providing information, while the "worried" who refuse may require more extensive and targeted counseling [ 21 , p. 84-85].…”

“…2 These studies, including our own, have typically examined the relationship between parents' vaccination beliefs, their intention to vaccinate their adolescents, and adolescents' ultimate vaccination status. [3][4][5][6] This research has been important for identifying potentially modifiable barriers to HPV vaccination, such as parents' need for more information and their perception that their children's risk of HPV infection is low. [3][4][5][6] However, despite the large volume of existing literature, basic gaps in our understanding of parents' decision making processes remain.…”