title: Could Poor Parental Recall of HPV Vaccination Contribute to Low Vaccination Rates?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rates of initiation and completion of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series remain below national goals. Because parents are responsible for ensuring vaccination of their children, we examined the accuracy of parental recall of the number of shots their daughters received.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents/guardians of girls aged 11 to 17 years were asked to recall the number of HPV doses received by their daughters. Dose number was confirmed using provider-verified medical records. Logistic regression assessed variables associated with correct recall.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 79 (63%) parents/guardians correctly identified the number of shots their daughters received. Ninety-one (73%) were aware of whether their daughter started the series at all. The only factor significantly associated with accurate recall in logistic regression models was female gender of parent/guardian.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nearly 40% of parents/guardians inaccurately recalled the number of HPV shots their children received, which may contribute to low rates of vaccine initiation and completion.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Gauri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Apte
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pierre-Joseph
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vercruysse
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA rebecca.perkins@bmc.org.
authors.forename: Rebecca B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Perkins
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007872:Legal Guardians / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines
keywords: HPV vaccination; vaccine recall