Table 2.

Focus group themes.

Theme	Example quotes
Insufficient information to make informed decisions	“I didn't give it [HPV vaccine] to my daughter when the doctor asked because I wasn't aware of the consequences. I need more research on it before I put her through something like that.” (Black female) “Men need to get information so that we can get more educated about HPV.” (Black male) “She got [the vaccine], but I am not well-informed. I don't know what effects it could have on her. I was not given the information …” (Latino female) “My daughter just got the shot. And I don't even know what she got … You know I don't even know how to say it. Papee-glorenoma virus” (White female) “They don't explain much to you. They give you a paper with the risks …” (White female)
Involvement in decision making	“I leave it up to my daughter and her mother to decide what to do about the HPV vaccine.” (Black male) “I make that decision. Her body is mine until she's 18 years old.” (Black female) “I would ask some of the women in my family for their opinion … my aunt. I would get her opinion and my sister's, too.” (Latino male) “When I went to the doctor with my daughter, I was asked to leave the office as the doctor wanted to have a private conversation about the HPV vaccine with her. When they were finished, I came back in. I asked the doctor, “What's going on?” The doctor didn't tell me anything … I am kind of confused … because the doctor didn't say anything to me about it [vaccine].” (Latino female) "I think it's better between the daughter and the health care provider” (White male) “I would let the decision be up to her, but she should be informed. The more informed she is, the better off she'll be making the decision, and she won't feel forced by you, or anybody else …” (White female)
Concerns about vaccine safety	“My first thought was, I am sendin' my ten-year old to this clinic to put dead HPV cells in her. What if the HPV that they are shooting in her body … what if it comes to life?” (Black female) “[They] tried to give me an HPV shot, along with others, while in prison. It was a trial.” (Black male)
Mistrust-pharmaceutical companies	“… all those pharmaceuticals care about, let's be honest, is money.” (Black female) “Are the companies who are putting the HPV vaccine out here … are they doing it just for a profit? Or do they actually really care about treatment and prevention?” (Black female) “If it's been around and studied for this long, then why is it just now starting to hit the market, and why is it just now starting to get pushed?” (Black male)
Mistrust-medical providers	“I was pregnant thirteen times but … it's [HPV] never, ever once [taps on table for emphasis] come up with my doctor! Never once have they even mentioned [HPV]!” (Black female)
Sources of information	“I don't think the TV commercials explain enough, all they say is “one less, one less, one less.” I would like to know how long the vaccine is good for and its effectiveness.” (Black female) “I know about HPV and the vaccine because they advertise the HPV vaccine a thousand times on Univision and Telemundo.” (Latino female) “Knowledge is power. We should be getting information about the HPV vaccine from our girls' doctors.” (White female)
Desired educational materials and strategies	“You can't use big words, you need to make it understandable so that people can understand [the vaccine information] and make decisions.” (Black female) “For me, the more information channels there is, the better: written, video, discussions…Sometimes you don't understand something one way and you understand it in a different format.” (Latino male) “Sometimes, because you don't know the language, you don't even ask.” (Latino female)