title: Midadult women's attitudes about receiving the prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine midadult (age, > or =25 years) women's attitudes about receiving the prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred seventy-two women 25 years or older completed a 46-question survey, read an educational sheet about HPV and HPV vaccines, and then completed a 23-item survey. Frequency data were reported, and interventional effects measured by Bowker test of symmetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After educational intervention, 50% of mid-adult women wanted to receive the vaccine, and 34.3% were undecided. A desire to be healthy (48.9%), prevent cervical cancer (42.8%), and fear of cervical cancer (35.8%) were the most common reasons for wanting the vaccine. The main reasons for not wanting the vaccine included being in a monogamous relationship (29.5%), not being at risk for acquiring HPV (15.0%), and practicing safe sex (10.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Midadult women have a high level of acceptance for the HPV vaccine. Our findings help support future implementation of the vaccine in this catch-up population of receptive women.
authors.affiliation: Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center, Departments of Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. dferris@mcg.edu
authors.forename: Daron G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ferris
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Jozette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012309:Risk-Taking; D021841:Safe Sex; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines