Table 2.

Girls’ and mothers’ perspectives on maternal communication with girls about HPV vaccines

Girls’ Perspectives	N (%)	Illustrative Quotations
Information mothers should communicate about HPV vaccine to daughters
Vaccine efficacy in preventing infection and disease	17 (52)	“That it’ll help you from getting cervical cancer… in the future.”
Recommendation for/support of vaccination	8 (24)	“That they [girls] should get it cause they [mothers] don’t want their daughters to grow up and have cancer or warts.”
Importance of safer sexual behaviors	1 (3)	“That you should always be protective and safe.”
Message that the social norm is to receive vaccine	1 (3)	“That everybody does it, so it’s not really a huge deal.”
Girls’ report of actual maternal communication
Discussed vaccine efficacy in preventing infection and disease	16 (48)	“She told me it was basically to keep me from getting certain disease and cancer in the future.”
Discussed vaccine risks and benefits	4 (12)	“She said that the shots can hurt but it only hurts for like a second or so.”
Offered reassurance about getting vaccine	1 (3)	“She told me not to stress, that everything’s gonna be okay.”
Discussed sexual health	1 (3)	“She said if you have sex you can get a lot of diseases. And some diseases you can’t really make them go away. They stay.”
Informed girl that her older sister received vaccine	1 (3)

Mothers’ Perspectives	N (%)	Illustrative Quotations
Mothers’ report of actual maternal communication
Discussed vaccine efficacy in preventing infection and disease	26 (79)	“I just explained to her what it is about, that it is prevention against cervical cancer.”
Discussed sexual health	12 (36)	“I discussed more that it [HPV] is sexually transmitted, that it is the only sexually transmitted disease that I’m aware of that actually has the result of cancer on a woman… pregnancy is not the worst thing that you can come home with from sex.” “Of course we talked about safe sex and hopefully she won’t be making that decision any time soon.”
Discussed vaccine risks and benefits	4 (12)	“I told her that, you know, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve read it can be painful.”
Discussed vaccine logistics, i.e. series of 3 vaccinations	3 (9)	“…I told her that it’s just like the Hepatitis B, that you get a series of three, and then it prevents [infection].”
Discussed timing of vaccination, i.e. before sexual activity, more effective if given at a younger age	3 (9)	“I told her since she hasn’t had intercourse yet, that getting the HPV vaccine especially helps that way.”
Discussed vaccination as a way to keep body healthy	1 (3)	“It’s just to help, for her, to keep her body healthy.”
Notified girl she was getting vaccine	1 (3)	“I told her she had to get a HPV shot.
Discussed mother’s own health experiences	1 (3)	“…I was describing my last doctor’s visit. And I was like mommy has cancer but it’s in my uterus…”
Discussed family history of cervical cancer	1 (3)	“There’s been cancer before in our family”
Discussed doctor’s recommendation to receive vaccination	1 (3)	“That it’s [HPV vaccine] recommended by her doctor.”
Shared that girl’s sibling had received the vaccine	1 (3)	“’Your sister had it last month.’”

HPV: human papillomavirus