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Publication Date

2009-12-21

Availability

UM campus only

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Department

Epidemiology (Medicine)

Date of Defense

2009-11-17

First Committee Member

David Lee - Committee Chair

Second Committee Member

Isildinha m. Reis, DrPH - Committee Member

Third Committee Member

Hosanna Soler-Vilan - Committee Member

Fourth Committee Member

Erin Kobetz , MPH - Committee Member

Fifth Committee Member

Anna R. Giuliano - Outside Committee Member

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy worldwide. Infection with HPV is a necessary cause of cervical. Hispanic women in the U.S. experience significantly higher rates of invasive disease than non-Hispanic Whites. In this population, HPV vaccines hold significant potential to eliminate further disparities in cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptability among a national sample of Spanish speaking callers to the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Cancer Information Service (CIS). Specifically this research aimed to identify the sociodemographic, sociocultural and attitudinal determinants of HPV vaccine acceptability. This research involved a cross-sectional study with phone-based interviews conducted in Spanish (n = 836). All female Spanish callers to the CIS were asked to respond to a three-part questionnaire that included items relating to ethnic identity and acculturation, knowledge of cervical cancer and related risk factors, and HPV vaccine acceptability. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to characterize the study population and to determine the effect of each of the demographic/sociocultural variables on vaccine acceptance. Independent predictors of HPV vaccine acceptability were determined using multivariate linear regression models. Results showed that HPV vaccine acceptance was high among this group of Hispanic women (78%) and that attitudes about vaccines in general and the HPV vaccine specifically were positive. Factors associated with vaccine acceptance included physician recommendation, awareness and accurate knowledge about HPV, and speaking only or mostly Spanish. Other important predictors included influence of peers, positive attitudes about vaccines in general, higher education and being a mother of a female adolescent. The primary reason cited by those who did not favor vaccination was concern over vaccine safety. This research was the first study looking at vaccine acceptability in a large, national sample of Hispanic women. HPV vaccination can lead to important public health benefits for Hispanic women. Targeted educational interventions must take into account the important sociocultural and attitudinal influences on the decision to vaccinate, such as those identified in the present study. Future educational efforts must involve the physician and take into the account the cultural context of attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccine safety and disease susceptibility. Further studies elucidating the interplay between culture specific beliefs and practices regarding vaccination and the decision to participate in HPV vaccination are needed.

Keywords

Hispanic; Cervical Cancer; HPV Vaccine

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