Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

HPV Vaccine Decision-Making and Acceptance: Does Religion Play a Role?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We conducted a web-based survey among 476 white, Black, and Hispanic parents or caregivers with daughter(s) between the ages of 9–17 to better understand how religion influences HPV vaccine acceptance. Catholic parents were more likely than nonaffiliated parents to have already vaccinated their daughters (vs. being undecided) (OR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.06, 10.06). Parents with frequent attendance at religious services were more likely than parents who do not attend services to have decided against vaccination (vs. being undecided) (OR = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.25, 6.84). Directions for research and implications for interventions are addressed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Gallup Poll (2008). Available at http://www.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx. Accessed 19 Sept 2010.

  • Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. D., Othus, M. K., Shelton, R. C., Li, Y., Norman, N., Tom, L., et al. (2010). Parental decision making about the HPV vaccine. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 19(9), 2187–2198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, L., Wagner, T. H., Singer, S., & Bundorf, M. K. (2003). Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information: Results from a national survey. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289, 2400–2406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnack, J. L., Reddy, D. M., & Swain, C. (2010). Predictors of parents’ willingness to vaccinate for human papillomavirus and physicians’ intentions to recommend the vaccine. Women’s Health Issues, 20, 28–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamins, M. R. (2006a). Religious influences on trust in physicians and the health care system. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 36(1), 69–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamins, M. R. (2006b). Religious influences on preventive health care use in a nationally representative sample of middle-age women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29(1), 1–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamins, M. R., & Brown, C. (2004). Religion and preventative health care utilization among the elderly. Social Science and Medicine, 58, 109–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernat, D. H., Harpin, S. B., Eisenberg, M. E., Bearinger, L. H., & Resnick, M. D. (2009). Parental support for the human papillomavirus vaccine. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(5), 525–527.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brabin, L., Roberts, S. A., Farzaneh, F., & Kitchener, H. C. (2006). Future acceptance of adolescent human papillomavirus vaccination: A survey of parental attitudes. Vaccine, 24(16), 3087–3094.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2008). National, state, and local area vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13–17 years–United States. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 58(36), 997–1001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantine, N. A., & Jerman, P. (2007). Acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccination among Californian parents of daughters: A representative statewide analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(2), 108–115.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dempsey, A. F., Zimet, G. D., Davis, R. L., & Koutsky, L. (2006). Factors that are associated with parental acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccines: A randomized intervention study of written information about HPV. Pediatrics, 117, 1486–1493.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dunne, E. F., Unger, E. R., Sternberg, M., McQuillan, G., Swan, D. C., Patel, S. S., et al. (2007). Prevalence of HPV infection among females in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 297(8), 813–819.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Etkind, P., Leh, S., Macdonald, P., Silva, E., & Peppe, J. (1992). Pertussis outbreaks in groups claiming religious exemptions to vaccinations. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 146, 173–176.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, K. M., Schonlau, M., & Lurie, N. (2009). Surveying a nationally representative internet-based panel to obtain timely estimates of influenza vaccination rates. Vaccine, 27, 815–818.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, J. A., Ding, L., Huang, B., et al. (2009). Mothers’ intention for their daughters and themselves to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine: A national study of nurses. Pediatrics, 123(6), 1439–1445.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, J. A., Rosenthal, S. L., Hamann, T., & Bernstein, D. I. (2003). Attitudes about HPV in young women. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 14(5), 300–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, M. L., Reiter, P. L., Heaner, S., Ruffin, M. T., Post, D. M., & Paskett, E. D. (2009). Acceptance of the HPV vaccine among women, parents, community leaders, and healthcare providers in Ohio Appalachia. Vaccine, 27(30), 3945–3952.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, A. M., & Gust, D. A. (2008). Measles outbreak associated with a church congregation: A study of immunization attitudes of congregation members. Public Health Reports, 123(2), 126–134.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kosmin, B. A. & Keysar, A. (2009). American Religious Identification Survey: Summary report (March 2009). Available at http://livinginliminality.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/aris_report_2008.pdf. Accessed 1 Sept 2010.

  • Kulig, J. C., Meyer, C. J., Hill, S. A., Handley, C. E., Lichtenberger, S. M., & Myck, S. L. (2002). Refusals and delay of immunization within Southwest Alberta: Understanding alternative beliefs and religious perspectives. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 93, 109–112.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lenselink, C. H., Gerrits, M. M., Melchers, W. J., Massuger, L. F., van Hamont, D., & Bekkers, R. L. (2008). Parental acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccines. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 137(1), 103–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marlow, L. A., Waller, J., Evans, R. E., & Wardle, J. (2009a). Predictors of interest in HPV vaccination: A study of British adolescents. Vaccine, 27(18), 2483–2488.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marlow, L. A., Wardle, J., Foster, A. S., & Waller, J. (2009b). Ethnic differences in human papillomavirus awareness and vaccine acceptability. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 63(12), 1010–1015.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCaffery, K., Forrest, S., Waller, J., Desai, M., Szarewski, A., & Wardle, J. (2003). Attitudes towards HPV testing: A qualitative study of beliefs among Indian, Pakistani, African- Caribbean and white British women in the UK. British Journal of Cancer, 88(1), 42–46.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Omer, S. B., Enger, K. S., Moulton, L. H., Halsey, N. A., Stokley, S., & Salmon, D. A. (2008). Geographic clustering of nonmedical exemptions to school immunization requirements and associations with geographic clustering of pertussis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 168, 1389–1396.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Omer, S. B., Pan, W. K. Y., Halsey, N. A., Stokley, S., Moulton, L. H., Navar, A. M., et al. (2006). Nonmedical exemptions to school immunization requirements: Secular trends and association of state policies with pertussis incidence. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(14), 1757–1763.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salmon, D. A., Haber, M., Gangarosa, E. J., Phillips, L., Smith, N. J., & Chen, R. T. (1999). Health consequences of religious and philosophical exemptions from immunization laws. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282(1), 47–53.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salmon, D. A., Sapsin, J. W., Teret, S., Jacobs, R. F., Thompson, J. W., Ryan, K., et al. (2005). Public health and the politics of school immunization requirements. American Journal of Public Health, 95(5), 778–783.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schiller, P. L., & Levin, J. S. (1988). Is there a religious factor in health care utilization? A review. Social Science and Medicine, 27(12), 1369–1379.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whooley, M. A., Boyd, A. L., Gardin, J. M., & Williams, D. R. (2002). Religious involvement and cigarette smoking in young adults: The CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162(14), 1604–1610.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the individuals who participated in this survey and shared their perspectives and opinions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel C. Shelton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shelton, R.C., Snavely, A.C., De Jesus, M. et al. HPV Vaccine Decision-Making and Acceptance: Does Religion Play a Role?. J Relig Health 52, 1120–1130 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-011-9553-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-011-9553-x

Keywords

Navigation