Acceptability of School-Based Health Centers for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Visits: A Mixed-Methods Study.

The sample came from one urban hospital-based clinic whose parents already tended to have favorable attitudes toward HPV vaccination, so the results may not apply to other populations. Participants were recruited from a clinic waiting room, so they were already able to access care; families with greater access barriers were not represented. Refusals were not systematically recorded, so the sample may differ from people who declined. School-based health centers are under local control, so HPV vaccine availability may differ across sites. The qualitative phase used a small convenience sample and stopped at thematic saturation, not a statistically representative group. Only parents completed the quantitative survey, so adolescent quantitative views were not measured. Few male parents participated, likely reflecting fewer male caregivers accompanying adolescents to appointments. Some survey respondents had no school-based health center or did not know whether their child’s school had one, which may shape their answers. The study measured acceptability and concerns, not actual HPV vaccination uptake or completion.

No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied article text. The supplied publication types indicate non-U.S. government and NIH extramural research support.

Do not conclude that school-based health centers will increase HPV vaccination uptake. The study measured acceptability and concerns, not actual vaccination completion, and it came from one clinic with favorable attitudes toward HPV vaccine.