Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine News

Mothers More Willing To Have Older Daughters Vaccinated Against HPV, Study Finds

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Article Date: 06 May 2008 - 7:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Although CDC recommends that girls receive the human papillomavirus vaccine at age 11 or 12 to protect against cervical cancer before the onset of sexual activity, mothers of girls under age 13 are less willing to have their daughters vaccinated than mothers of older girls, a new study has found, the Chicago Sun-Times reports (Thomas, Chicago Sun-Times, 5/5). The study was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics' plenary session at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, which ends Tuesday in Honolulu, ANI/Thaindian News reports.

For the study, Jessica Kahn -- a physician of adolescent medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center -- and colleagues surveyed 10,521 mothers of adolescent girls who were participating in the Growing Up Today study, a longitudinal study of the children of mothers participating in the Nurses Health Study II between June 2006 and February 2007. The study found that 48% of mothers were willing to have their nine- to 12-year-old daughters vaccinated, 68% were willing to have 13- to 15-year-old daughters vaccinated, and 86% were willing to have 16- to 18-year-old daughters vaccinated.

Researchers looked at seven factors regarding HPV vaccination, including perceived benefits; perceived barriers, such as whether the vaccine would lead to risky sexual behavior; perception of daughters' risk of HPV infection; understanding of HPV-related diseases, such as cervical cancer; and a physician's recommendation (ANI/Thaindian News, 5/5). Kahn said that it is not surprising that parents are less comfortable about younger girls receiving HPV vaccines. "There's sort of an underlying assumption among some parents that recommending the vaccine means that someone, either a clinician or themselves, will have to have a discussion that HPV is ... transmitted sexually," Kahn said (Chicago Sun-Times, 5/5).

Kahn said that because the study found that "personal beliefs play[ed] such an important role" in mothers' decisions to have their daughters vaccinated, evidence-based messages about adolescent HPV risk and the effectiveness of HPV vaccines should be developed to "increase the acceptability" of the vaccines among parents. Kahn added that a comprehensive approach to increase acceptability among parents should involve clinicians, health educators, advocacy groups and the public health community (ANI/Thaindian News, 5/5).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
What Is Anal Cancer? What Causes Anal Cancer?
07 Jul 2009
Anal cancer occurs in the anus, the end of the gastrointestinal tract. Anal cancer is very different from colorectal cancer, which is much more common. Anal cancer's causes, risk factors, clinical progression, staging and...


Talking with Your Doctor image Talking with Your Doctor

Talking with your doctor can sometimes be difficult. Good health care, however, depends on an open dialogue between patients and doctors...

Next Steps After a Diagnosis image Next Steps After a Diagnosis

Being diagnosed with a disease or serious condition can come as a shock. Hear what experts have to say about coming to grips with whatever ails you...

View more videos...