Table 3.
Frequencies reflecting medical student opinions about the HPV vaccine (N=231).
| Total n (%) agree |
Vaccinated (%) agree |
Unvaccinated (%) agree |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statements of belief or behaviora | n=97 | n=134 | ||
| Providers should use every opportunity to recommend the HPV vaccine to eligible patients. (n=226) | 216 (95.6) | 94 (97.9) | 122 (93.8) | 0.09b |
| I am comfortable discussing adolescent sexuality with parents. (n=205) | 171 (83.4) | 74 (86.0) | 97 (81.5) | 0.39 |
| I would recommend the HPV vaccine to eligible patients in my practice. (n=223) | 221 (99.1) | 94 (100.0) | 127 (98.4) | 0.33b |
| I will give (gave) the HPV vaccine to my own child(ren). (n=51) | 50 (98.0) | 18 (100) | 32 (97.0) | 0.65b |
| I think that HPV infection is serious enough to warrant a vaccine. (n=228) | 220 (96.5) | 94 (96.9) | 126 (96.2) | 0.27b |
| I believe that the HPV vaccine encourages adolescents to have sexual intercourse. (n=222) | 7 (3.2) | 1 (1.0) | 6 (4.8) | 0.09b |
| I don’t know how to bring up the topic of HPVvaccination with parents. (n=217) | 26 (12.0) | 8 (8.5) | 18 (14.6) | 0.17 |
| I am comfortable discussing the benefits and risk of HPV vaccination. (n=215) | 186 (86.5) | 85 (91.4) | 101 (82.8) | 0.07 |
| I prefer to wait until the child is 15–16 years old before I recommend the HPV vaccine. (n=201) | 31 (15.4) | 7 (7.9) | 24 (21.4) | 0.008 |
| I am concerned about the amount of time needed to discuss HPV vaccination with parents. (n=199) | 34 (17.1) | 16 (18.2) | 18 (16.2) | 0.71 |
| I don’t have much confidence in the safety of the HPV vaccine. (n=210) | 9 (4.3) | 5 (5.6) | 4 (3.3) | 0.20b |
| I am concerned that the HPV vaccine may cause Guillain–Barre syndrome. (n=195) | 10 (5.1) | 4 (4.6) | 6 (5.5) | 0.25b |
| I am concerned about the efficacy of the HPV vaccine. (n=212) | 20 (9.4) | 9 (10.0) | 11 (9.0) | 0.81 |
| I would recommend the HPV vaccine to a relative. (n=212) | 202 (95.3) | 90 (94.7) | 112 (95.7) | 0.74 |
| I am willing to discuss HPV vaccination when patients come in for other problems. (n=216) | 203 (94.0) | 90 (100) | 113 (89.7) | <0.001b |
| I am willing to discuss HPV vaccination when patients are seen for chronic conditions. (n=173) | 199 (93.4) | 91 (98.9) | 108 (89.3) | 0.003b |
| I would recommend giving the HPV vaccine to a 9–10 year old patient. (n=173) | 100 (57.8) | 49 (70.0) | 51 (49.5) | 0.007 |
| I feel that giving the HPV vaccine in schools is a good idea. (n=183) | 141 (77.0) | 58 (79.4) | 83 (75.4) | 0.53 |
| I feel that patient navigation is an effective way to decrease barriers related to HPV vaccination. (n=181) | 177 (97.8) | 80 (97.6) | 97 (98.0) | 0.37b |
“Vaccinated” indicates at least one dose of the HPV vaccine was received. Boldface indicates significance. Number of respondents indicated in parentheses after the statement.
a
Denominator may vary due to missing responses.
b
Fisher's Exact test used for comparisons because some cell counts < 5.