The authors noted that although vaccination against HPV is safe and highly effective, only 59% of teenagers in the United States are up-to-date on HPV vaccination. Besides financial concerns, vaccine safety concerns, and a low perceived risk of HPV infection, stigmatizing beliefs about the HPV vaccine remain a common barrier that affects parents’ decision-making. Only 3.1% of parents listed “My child might think it’s OK to have sex” as a reason for delaying vaccination. Two stigmatizing beliefs were linked to specific sources of information about the HPV vaccine. Parents’ stigmatizing beliefs about the HPV vaccine and their association with information seeking behavior and vaccination communication behaviors.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2023 23:40 UTC