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“I don’t Think He Needs the HPV Vaccine Cause Boys Can’t Have Cervical Cancer”: a Qualitative Study of Latina Mothers’ (Mis) Understandings About Human Papillomavirus Transmission, Associated Cancers, and the Vaccine

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Abstract

Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States and etiologically linked to several types of cancers including the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynges. Evidence indicates certain types of HPV-associated cancers disproportionally affect Latinos in the United States. This qualitative study sought to explore Latina mothers’ perceptions and understanding of HPV infection, HPV-associated cancers, and the HPV vaccination for their adolescent sons and daughters. Twenty-two individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted in 2018–2019 with mothers who had at least one child between the ages of 11 and 19 years. Data were analyzed using a hybrid method of thematic analysis that incorporated deductive and inductive approaches. Two major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) mothers’ (mis) understanding about HPV infection transmission and HPV-associated cancer risk for girls and boys, and (2) mothers’ (mis) understandings about the HPV vaccination for girls and boys. Results found that most mothers had inadequate understanding of HPV transmission, HPV-associated cancer risk for males, and need to vaccinate boys against the virus for their own personal health and prevention of HPV-associated cancers. Findings suggest that interventions should focus on improving Latina mothers’ understanding of HPV transmission, addressing the lack or inadequate knowledge about HPV-associated cancer risk for males, as well as misconceptions about the importance of the HPV vaccination for males for their personal health and the prevention of HPV-associated cancers. Future research should quantify Latino parents’ awareness, knowledge, and acceptability of the HPV vaccine for their sons and daughters.

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Data reported in this publication is kept in data files at the corresponding academic institution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the mothers that participated in the study and the community-based agencies for their support in recruitment efforts. Madelyne J. Valdez participated in this research as part of a summer internship awarded by the University of Massachusetts Boston–Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Partnership for Advancing Cancer Health Equity funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI–2U54CA156734-06A1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Ana Cristina Lindsay, Madelyne J. Valdez & Emily Restrepo

  2. College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts—Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Denisse Delgado

  3. Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts—Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Yessica M. Guzman

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  1. Ana Cristina Lindsay
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  2. Denisse Delgado
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Correspondence to Ana Cristina Lindsay.

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This study received approval from the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Informed written and verbal consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the University of Massachusetts Boston–Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Partnership for Advancing Cancer Health Equity or the National Cancer Institute.

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Lindsay, A.C., Delgado, D., Valdez, M.J. et al. “I don’t Think He Needs the HPV Vaccine Cause Boys Can’t Have Cervical Cancer”: a Qualitative Study of Latina Mothers’ (Mis) Understandings About Human Papillomavirus Transmission, Associated Cancers, and the Vaccine. J Canc Educ 37, 370–378 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01824-z

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