Relationship between maternal experiences and adolescent HPV vaccination

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been available for over a decade but its uptake rate is still low. To explore the relationship between the HPV vaccination status of a child and their mother's beliefs, behaviors and knowledge, we surveyed 1497 women with at least one child aged 9–17 y between September 2011 and November 2015. Physician recommendation was the most important factor associated with reported child vaccination status. Mothers who reported receiving a provider recommendation for the HPV vaccine were 32 times more likely to have a child who had been vaccinated compared with mothers who did not report provider recommendation (aOR) = 32.17; 95% CI: 21.77, 47.54). Knowing someone who had received the vaccine was also strongly associated with vaccination uptake (59% vs 12%, p <.001). Additionally, prior HPV diagnosis (aOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.10) and knowing someone with cervical cancer (aOR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.89) were associated with child vaccination status. Mothers who perceived moderate to high risk for their child contracting HPV or developing genital warts or cervical cancer were more likely to report that their daughters (but not their sons) had been vaccinated.