Mothers less likely to pursue HPV vaccination for youngest daughters

Mothers' intentions run counter to CDC recommendations

CINCINNATI –Because the first national study of its kind has found that U.S. mothers report they are less likely to vaccinate daughters under age 13 against human papillomavirus virus (HPV), even though the vaccine is recommended for girls at age 11 and 12, it’s incumbent upon the healthcare community to work to improve mom’s acceptance of the vaccination for younger daughters, say researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center who conducted the study. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus known to cause cervical cancer.

The study will be presented May 4 at the American Academy of Pediatrics Presidential Plenary session, of the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Honolulu.

“Because HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (see background information below) and often acquired soon after the onset of sexual activity, the CDC recommends that HPV vaccination ideally occur before a girl becomes sexually active, as the vaccine will not reverse HPV infection,” says Jessica Kahn, M.D., a physician in the division of adolescent medicine at Cincinnati Children’s and the study’s lead author. Currently the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that 11- and 12-year-old girls be targeted for HPV immunization. But the researchers found that mothers surveyed are currently not inclined to follow that guideline.

In the study, while 86 percent of moms intended to vaccinate a 16- to 18-year-old daughter, and 68 percent intended to vaccinate a 13- to 15-year-old daughter, fewer than half – only 48 percent – intended to vaccinate a 9- to 12-year-old daughter, according to the data analyzed by Dr. Kahn and her colleagues. “Mothers’ intention to vaccinate against HPV is lowest for the younger daughters. Yet, younger girls are more likely than older girls to benefit from vaccination, which is why the CDC recommends that they be targeted for vaccination. This discrepancy between mothers’ attitudes and CDC recommendations represents a challenge for health care providers.”

“We found that mothers’ beliefs about HPV vaccination are the most powerful determinants of whether they intend to vaccinate their daughters at this age. The findings of our study, in combination with results of the evolving literature on HPV vaccine acceptability, provide information that can be used to improve moms’ acceptance of HPV vaccination for their younger daughters.”