To Consent or Decline HPV Vaccination: A Pilot Study at the Start of the National School-Based Vaccination Program in Sweden.
Maria Grandahl, Tanja Tydén, Ragnar Westerling and 4 others
PMID 27917484WHAT IT FOUND
Parents who declined HPV vaccination were more likely to have refused earlier vaccines, relied on internet information, and saw more risks and fewer benefits.
They were also less satisfied with school nurse information and found deciding harder.
Key findings
01Parents who declined HPV vaccination were more likely to have refused previous childhood vaccinations and the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.
02Declining parents were more likely to name the Internet as their main source of information (64.3% versus 21.5%), were less pleased with school nurse information (mean 2.29 versus 3.84), and found the decision more difficult (mean 2.79 versus 4.09).
03Declining parents saw more risks and fewer benefits of vaccination, while knowledge and beliefs about severity or susceptibility did not differ significantly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot study, and only 14 parents declined vaccination, so the declining group was very small. The response rate was 55%, so the results may not represent all parents who were approached. Most participants were Swedish-born women with a university degree, which may affect the results. The municipality had a vaccination coverage rate of 93%, compared with approximately 80% nationally, so it may not represent other areas. The study used a self-report questionnaire with a cross-sectional design, so it cannot show that information sources or beliefs caused refusal. The questionnaire was developed for this study, although it underwent validation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that internet information or school nurse communication caused parents to decline HPV vaccination. This was a pilot cross-sectional self-report survey of 200 parents, and only 14 declined, so it reports associations rather than tested interventions or causes.