Brazilian Immigrant Parents ’ Awareness of HPV and the HPV Vaccine and Interest in Participating in Future HPV-Related Cancer Prevention Study: an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in the USA

This study is a cross-sectional analysis of data from a convenience sample of Brazilian immigrant parents living in selected cities in Massachusetts . Participants completed a brief survey in their language of preference (English or Portuguese) administered by bilingual interviewers. Forty-seven Brazilian immigrant parents, each representing a unique family, participated in the study. All participants completed the survey in Portuguese. Although the majority reported being aware of HPV (93.6%,n = 44), only 74.5% (n = 35) were aware of the HPV vaccine. Fewer fathers than mothers had heard of the HPV vaccine (61.9%;n = 13 vs. 84.6%,n = 22;p = 0.04). Of those who were aware of the HPV vaccine (n = 35), 82.6% (n = 29) reported hearing about the HPV vaccine from their child’s physician. Additionally, nearly all participants (97.9%,n = 46) reported being interested in participating in future HPV-related cancer prevention study. Findings of this exploratory study indicate parents’ low to moderate awareness of the HPV vaccine and high interest in participating in future HPV-related cancer prevention study. These findings ar e important and serve as a valuable first step toward building a knowledge foundation that is critically needed for developing future studies targeting Brazilians immigrant parents and adolescents living in the USA.
Source: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research