Design and efficacy of a multilingual, multicultural HPV vaccine education intervention

Abstract

BackgroundThe human papillomavirus (HPV) is the precursor and the single, most important risk factor for cervical cancer. It is also the most commonly sexually transmitted infection in the United States. An estimated 20 million persons are currently infected with the virus, with an estimated 6 million new infections occurring annually and 12 000 new cervical cancer cases and 4 000 cervical cancer deaths annually. The HPV vaccine is thus an especially important preventive measure for racial/ethnic groups who bear an unequal burden of cervical cancer mortality.PurposeThis study aimed to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate intervention to educate and empower Latino and Korean American parents to make an informed HPV vaccination decision for their minor children.MethodsA parent-focused HPV vaccine education DVD was developed through focus groups and cognitive interviews with Latino and Korean American parents of children ages 11–17. A randomized controlled efficacy trial was subsequently conducted with 708 Latino and Korean American parents to assess knowledge gains, decisional conflict, decision self-efficacy, and informed decision-making resulting from viewing the intervention DVD.ResultsDifferences between treatment and control groups for pre-post changes in knowledge, informed decision-making, and decisional conflict were statistically significant among the parents exposed to the education intervention DVD.ConclusionThe study demonstrated that a culturally and linguistically appropriate intervention DVD designed to educate parents about the risks and benefits of the HPV vaccine promoted informed decision-making regarding HPV vaccination among at-risk populations.