Does Self-Efficacy Mediate the Relationships Between Social-Cognitive Factors and Intentions to Receive HPV Vaccination Among Young Women?
Shannon M Christy, Joseph G Winger, Catherine E Mosher
PMID 29134823WHAT IT FOUND
Among unvaccinated college women, confidence in getting HPV vaccine linked perceived risk to higher intention and barriers to lower intention.
Provider recommendation, vaccine benefits, and disease severity did not show this pattern.
Key findings
01Perceived risk of HPV-related conditions was linked to higher intention to get HPV vaccine through greater self-efficacy.
02Perceived barriers to HPV vaccination were linked to lower intention through lower self-efficacy.
03Self-efficacy did not mediate the links between intention and perceived benefits, perceived severity, or health provider recommendation.
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 perceived risk, perceived barriers, or self-efficacy caused intention. It measured intention to receive HPV vaccine, not actual vaccination. Participants were unvaccinated college women aged 18 to 26, mostly White, from one Midwestern university. Self-efficacy, risk, benefits, barriers, severity, and cue to action were measured with short self-report items, and cue to action was a single yes/no question. The study did not test any education or vaccination intervention, so it cannot show that changing these beliefs would improve vaccination.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The supplied text does not name a funder, although the publication types list N.I.H. extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing self-efficacy will increase HPV vaccination. This cross-sectional survey measured intentions, not actual vaccination, and did not test any intervention.