Attitudinal Correlates of HPV Vaccination in College Women.
Monica L Kasting, Shannon M Christy, Madison E Stout and 2 others
PMID 34538128WHAT IT FOUND
Provider recommendation and believing vaccines are beneficial were associated with HPV vaccination among college women.
Fear of shots and general attitudes toward medical care were not.
Key findings
01Provider recommendation was the only healthcare variable significantly associated with HPV vaccine uptake (OR=34.70; 95% CI=13.23-90.99).
02Perceived benefits of vaccination were associated with HPV vaccine uptake (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.05-1.15) and with intentions among unvaccinated women (r=0.23; p=0.01).
03Fear of shots was not related to HPV vaccine uptake, and attitudes toward seeking medical care were not associated with uptake when healthcare variables were considered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that attitudes or provider recommendations caused vaccination, or which came first. The sample was 330 college women at one public university in Indiana, mostly non-Hispanic White (75%), mostly insured (93%), and mostly had a regular provider (62%); it may not apply to men, other races/ethnicities, other regions, or people with less healthcare contact. HPV vaccine status was self-reported and may be affected by recall or social desirability. The study did not separate nurse recommendations from recommendations by other healthcare providers. Only women were analyzed because too few vaccinated men were available.
Declared interests
One author reported consulting honoraria from Merck and travel funds from Merck to attend an HPV vaccine symposium. The other authors reported no conflicts. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse conversations about vaccine benefits will increase HPV vaccination. This was a cross-sectional survey, not a test of a nursing intervention, and it cannot show cause.