Parental acceptance of HPV vaccinations at ages 9–10 in the United States

Abstract

In the US, HPV vaccination is routinely recommended for 11-12-y-olds. This study explored parental attitudes toward initiation of the HPV vaccine at 9-10 y of age. Parents of 9-12-y-old children in the U.S. were invited to participate in a cross-sectional, online survey. The survey collected sociodemographic characteristics, awareness, knowledge, vaccination experiences, concerns, and opinions on HPV vaccination at ages 9-10. Among 250 parents, most supported vaccination at age 10 or younger (72% for boys, 77% for girls). Among parents whose children were vaccinated at 11-12-y-old, 90% said they would probably or definitely have accepted vaccination if offered earlier. Parents identified benefits to vaccination initiation at ages 9-10, including higher confidence in completion prior to sexual activity (reported by 60%), fewer injections at the 11-12-y-old visits (52%), and less concern about triggering sexual behavior (46%). Concerns about vaccination initiation at ages 9-10 included the inconvenience of separating from other vaccinations at 11-12-y-old visits (40%), difficulty engaging children in decision-making (39%), and lack of comfort discussing HPV vaccination topics including sexuality at this age (36%). Our study found high parental acceptance of HPV vaccination for 9-10-y-olds among those who were offered, and based on positive responses from parents to whom it had not been offered at that age. Our findings can be used to guide communication and information provided to parents to increase acceptance.