An examination of acceptability of HPV vaccination among African American women and Latina immigrants.
BACKGROUND
This study examined the acceptability of preventive human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among Latina immigrants and African American women through eight focus groups (n = 55, 28 Latinas and 27 African Americans).


METHODS
Latinas were between 17 and 39 years old (x = 27.9) and African Americans between 19 and 39 (x = 24.3). Approximately 86% of Latinas and 7% of African Americans were married or living with a partner; 10.7% of Latinas and 53.8% of African Americans reported having health insurance; 60.7% of Latinas and 77.8% of African Americans had never heard about HPV. Following a brief presentation about cervical cancer and HPV, participants were questioned about the acceptability of a preventive HPV vaccine.


RESULTS
Overall, both groups indicated that an HPV preventive vaccine would be acceptable. However, African Americans were more skeptical, citing concerns about effectiveness and side effects. Another African American concern was whether vaccinated women would perceive themselves as being protected from HPV, leading them to increased promiscuity or unprotected sex. African Americans' motivating factors for vaccine use included receiving education/information about the vaccine, affordable prices, good results in trials, and knowing others who had already gotten vaccinated. Latina immigrants, on the other hand, unanimously stated that they would get the vaccine. However, they believed that multiple credible sources of information (educational talks, doctor's office, television, churches, and other women) needed to promote the vaccine before the Latino community at large would accept it.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that unique educational strategies need to be developed, based on the needs and perceptions of the targeted audience, in order to achieve wide-spread acceptability of this vaccine.
Scarinci
Isabel C
IC
Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-4410, USA. scarinci@uab.edu
Garcés-Palacio
Isabel C
IC
Partridge
Edward E
EE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D016387:Women's Health
D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines