Browsing by Author "Footman, Alison"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Parents' Acceptance of COVID-19 Compared to Human Papillomavirus Vaccines
    (Elsevier, 2022-12) Footman, Alison; Kanney, Nita; Niccolai, Linda M.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Overton, Edgar Turner; Davies, Susan L.; Van Der Pol , Barbara; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Purpose: The first vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) for adolescents 16 years and older in the United States received Emergency Use Authorization in December 2020. Soon after its approval, parents expressed concerns about vaccine safety for adolescents. Similar concerns about vaccine safety partially explain suboptimal human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake. This qualitative study explores similarities and differences in parents' attitudes about these two vaccines. Methods: Parents were recruited through social media and at health centers in Alabama. Semi-structured interviews with parents of adolescents aged 9-17 years were conducted before and after Alabama expanded age eligibility to those 16 and older. Topics included knowledge about HPV and COVID-19 vaccines, and parents' intentions to have children vaccinated. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: From March 11, 2021 to April 24, 2021, 21 in-depth interviews were conducted. Parents discussed the importance of HPV and COVID-19 vaccines for protecting their children's health but differences between the two related to community protection. Parents were concerned about vaccine safety but media coverage about the COVID-19 vaccine led to more favorable attitudes about the benefits of vaccination, which was not observed for HPV vaccines. Instead for HPV vaccination, parents wanted their healthcare providers' opinions about the vaccine before making a vaccination decision. Discussion: Parents had similar concerns about HPV and COVID-19 vaccines. Although provider recommendations can improve vaccine uptake, local news reports were seen to have a positive impact on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in lieu of provider recommendation. Disseminating information online could be beneficial to promote HPV and COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Perceived Need and Acceptance of a Future Chlamydia Vaccine Among Health Care Providers
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022-11) Footman, Alison; Kanney, Nita; Niccolai, Linda M.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Overton, Edgar Turner; Davies, Susan L.; Van Der Pol, Barbara; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background Chlamydia vaccination is a potentially important strategy to prevent infections and reduce the global burden of disease. Ideally, chlamydia immunization programs would require vaccinating adolescents before they engage in sexual activity. Communication by health care providers (HCPs) has been shown to have an impact on vaccine acceptance. Therefore, it is imperative to understand their opinions on chlamydia vaccines and factors that would promote strong vaccine recommendations to patients to promote uptake. Methods Semi-structured interviews with adolescent HCPs were conducted and focused on perceived need for chlamydia vaccine. Additional topics included vaccine characteristics, such as efficacy, cost, and booster vaccines, and potential vaccine recommendation strategies. Results From January to July 2021, 22 interviews were completed. Health care providers discussed how chlamydia vaccines are needed, especially in settings with high prevalence rates. Health care providers thought a chlamydia vaccine would need to be very efficacious in preventing infections and related sequalae and cost-effective. However, there were concerns about low completion rates if this vaccine required multiple doses or boosters. In addition, vaccine misinformation was prevalent among HCPs regarding potential benefits of vaccination. Conclusions Health care providers' perceptions that an adolescent chlamydia vaccine would be beneficial offers great promise for future promotion. However, there is need for targeted education programs about chlamydia and the benefits of vaccination for HCPs. These programs will be especially important in order for HCPs to effectively communicate about the benefits of vaccination to parents and adolescents provide strong vaccine recommendations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Summary of the Fourth Annual American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association Workshop on Improving Sexually Transmitted Infection Control Efforts Through Cross-Sector Collaboration
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022-08) Van Gerwen, Olivia; Griner, Stacey; Davis, Alissa; Footman, Alison; Pinto, Casey N.; Melendez, Johan H.; Tuddenham, Susan; Exten, Cara; Soge, Olusegun O.; Chakraborty, Payal; Nenninger, Ashley; Marlowe, Elizabeth M.; Joseph, Ajith M.; McGowin, Chris L.; Seña, Arlene C.; Fortenberry , J. Dennis; Ghanem, Khalil G.; Van Der Pol , Barbara; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    The American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association has, for several years, been conducting a cross-sector workshop to bring together a variety of stakeholders to develop ideas for collaboratively improving the sexually transmitted infection control efforts in the United States. In this summary, we share the content of discussions and ideas of the fourth annual workshop for future research and potential changes to practice with a focus on diagnostic capacity.