title: Paediatricians' attitudes and practices towards HPV vaccination.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In June 2006, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, was licensed for use in the United States. We examined whether paediatricians would recommend the vaccine, obstacles they encountered and characteristics associated with not recommending the HPV vaccine to all eligible patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred fifty general paediatricians, 200 members of the section of infectious diseases and 200 members of the section of adolescent medicine of the American Academy of Pediatrics web-based directory were surveyed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 752 eligible paediatricians, 373 (50%) responded. Eighty-eight percent (292 of 332) of respondents stated that they would give the vaccine to all, 36 (11%) would give it to some and 4 (1%) would give it to none of their eligible patients. The main obstacles were cost and safety; a minority expressed concern about the vaccine's potential impact on adolescent sexual activity. Physicians who would not recommend HPV vaccination to all eligible patients were more likely to be generalists, have higher intrinsic religiosity, self-describe as conservative, report later adoption of new drugs/vaccines, and would not encourage vaccinating their own daughter or the daughter of a close friend.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although paediatricians are highly supportive of the HPV vaccine, certain characteristics may predict reluctance to immunize.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Medical Arts Pediatrics, Reno, NV, USA.
authors.forename: Kimiko L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koopmans
authors.forename: Farr A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Curlin
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Lainie Friedman
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D000068857:Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine Quadrivalent, Types 6, 11, 16, 18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D010372:Pediatrics; D012067:Religion; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000068857:Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine Quadrivalent, Types 6, 11, 16, 18; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines