Table 4.

Perceived Parental Barriers to HPV vaccination.

How often have you experienced the following parental barriers to immunizing 9 to 17 year old patients against HPV?	Occasionally/Never, %	About half time, %	Usually/Always, %	Missing, %
Issues related to vaccine safety	49.8	21.8	23.0	5.4
Issues related to vaccine efficacy	70.7	13.8	10.8	4.6
Parent reluctance to discuss sexuality/sexually transmitted infections	32.6	25.9	36.1	5.4
Parent concern that adolescent will assume that a parent who agrees to HPV vaccination condones premarital sex	47.7	18.0	29.8	4.6
Parent concern that vaccinated child will practice riskier sexual behaviors	49.0	18.4	28.0	4.6
Lack of parent education/understanding about HPV infection	20.5	20.9	54.0	4.6
Parent requests that HPV vaccination be deferred	18.0	27.6	49.8	4.6
Parent believes child is not at risk for HPV infection	28.0	18.4	48.6	5.0
Parent won’t consent to vaccination	42.3	23.9	29.3	4.6
Parent believes child is too young for the HPV vaccine	31.4	29.3	34.7	4.6
Parent concern about negative media reports related to the HPV vaccine	54.0	20.1	20.9	5.0

Abbreviations: HPV, Human Papillomavirus