Supporting cancer survivors’ participation in peer review: perspectives from NCI’s CARRA program

Including cancer survivors in the peer review of cancer-related research is increasingly valued as a strategy for bringing the “patient perspective” to discussions of research merit and human subjects protection. Because integrating lay stakeholders into peer review poses challenges, this qualitative study explored the perspectives of experienced patient advocates to identify programmatic supports for survivors’ participation

Anticipated regret and health behavior: A meta-analysis.

Risk beliefs are central to most theories of health behavior, yet many unanswered questions remain about an increasingly studied risk construct, anticipated regret. We sought to better understand anticipated regret’s role in motivating health behaviors

Parents who refuse or delay HPV vaccine: Differences in vaccination behavior, beliefs, and clinical communication preferences

Background: We sought to estimate the national prevalence of HPV vaccine refusal and delay in a nationally-representative sample of parents of adolescents. We also compared parents who refused versus delayed HPV vaccine in terms of their vaccination beliefs and clinical communication preferences. Methods: In 2014 to 2015, we conducted an online survey of 1,484 US parents who reported on an 11- to 17-year-old child in their household. We used weighted multinomial logistic regression to assess correlates of HPV vaccine refusal and delay. Results: Overall, 28% of parents reported that they had ever “refused or decided not to get” HPV vaccine for their child, and an additional 8% of parents reported that they had “delayed or put off getting” HPV vaccine. Compared to no refusal/delay, refusal was associated with lower confidence in adolescent vaccination (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48–0.91), lower perceived HPV vaccine effectiveness (RRR = 0.68, 95% CI, 0.50–0.91), and higher perceived harms (RRR = 3.49, 95% CI, 2.65–4.60). In contrast, delay was associated with needing more information (RRR = 1.76, 95% CI, 1.08–2.85). Most parents rated physicians and information sheets as helpful for making decisions about HPV vaccination, although parents who reported refusal endorsed these resources less often. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that HPV vaccine refusal is common among parents of adolescents and may have increased relative to previous estimates. Because the vaccination beliefs and communication preferences of parents who refuse appear to differ from those who delay, targeted communication strategies may be needed to effectively address HPV vaccine hesitancy

Physician support of HPV vaccination school-entry requirements

School-entry requirements in the US have led to high coverage for several vaccines, but few states and jurisdictions have adopted these policies for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Because physicians play a key role in advocating for vaccination policies, we assessed physician support of requiring HPV vaccine for school entry and correlates of this support. Participants were a national sample of 775 physicians who provide primary care, including vaccines, to adolescents. Physicians completed an online survey in 2014 that assessed their support for school-entry requirements for HPV vaccination of 11 and 12 y olds. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess correlates of support for these requirements. The majority of physicians (74%) supported some form of school-entry requirements, with or without opt-out provisions. When opt-out provisions were not specified, 47% agreed that laws requiring HPV vaccination for school attendance were a “good idea.” Physicians more often agreed with requirements, without opt-out provisions, if they: had more years in practice (OR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.09-2.04), gave higher quality HPV vaccine recommendations (OR=2.06; 95% CI: 1.45-2.93), believed that having requirements for Tdap, but not HPV, vaccination undermined its importance (OR=3.33; 95% CI: 2.26-4.9), and believed HPV vaccination was as or more important than other adolescent vaccinations (OR=2.30; 95% CI: 1.65-3.18). In conclusion, we found that many physicians supported school-entry requirements for HPV vaccination. More research is needed to investigate the extent to which opt-out provisions might weaken or strengthen physician support of HPV vaccination school-entry requirements

HPV vaccination among adolescent males: Results from the National Immunization Survey-Teen

US guidelines provided a permissive recommendation forHPV vaccine for males in 2009, with an updated recommendation for routine vaccination in 2011. Dataon vaccine uptake among males, however, remain sparse. We analyzed 2010–2011 data (collected mostlyprior to the recommendation for routine vaccination) from the National Immunization Survey-Teen for a nationally representative sample of adolescent males ages 13–17 (n=22,365). We examined HPV vaccine initiation( receipt of at least one doseba sed on healthcare provider records) as the primary outcome. Analyses used weighted logistic regression. HPV vaccine initiation increased from 1.4% in 2010 to 8.3% in 2011. Parents who reported receiving a healthcare provider recommendation to get their sons HPV vaccine were much more likely to have vaccinated sons (OR=19.02, 95% CI: 14.36–25.19). Initiation was also higher among sons who were Hispanic (OR=1.83, 95% CI: 1.24–2.71) or who were eligible for the Vaccines for Children program (OR=1.53, 95% CI: 1.01–2.31). Only31.0% of parents with unvaccinated sons indicatedtheir sons were “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to receive HPV vaccine in the next year. The most common main reasons for parents not intending to vaccinate were believing vaccination is not needed or not necessary (24.5%), not having received a provider recommendation (22.1%), and lack of knowledge (15.9%). HPV vaccination is low among adolescent males in the US, and provider recommendation for vaccination is likely keyto improv ingvaccine uptake. Given the updated recommendation for routine vaccination and the changes in health insurance coverage that are likely to follow, continued efforts are needed to monitor HPV vaccination among males

Physicians' Counseling of Adolescents Regarding E-Cigarette Use

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use now surpasses use of conventional cigarettes among U.S. adolescents. Given the important role of physicians in preventing adolescent risk behaviors, we sought to understand how physicians communicate about e-cigarettes when counseling adolescent patients and their parents. We also explored physicians’ support for regulations aimed at discouraging adolescents’ e-cigarette use

Parents' Support for School-Entry Requirements for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A National Study

The number of states proposing school-entry requirements for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has increased over the last decade. However, data are currently limited regarding parents' support of such laws. We sought to obtain the first national estimates of parents' support of HPV vaccination school-entry requirements

Healthcare Providers' Beliefs and Attitudes About Electronic Cigarettes and Preventive Counseling for Adolescent Patients

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered nicotine delivery systems that may serve as a “gateway” to tobacco use by adolescents. Use of e-cigarettes by U.S. adolescents rose from 3% in 2011 to 7% in 2012. We sought to describe healthcare providers’ awareness of e-cigarettes and to assess their comfort with and attitudes toward discussing e-cigarettes with adolescent patients and their parents

Messages to Motivate Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: National Studies of Parents and Physicians

Physician communication about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a key determinant of uptake. To support physician communication, we sought to identify messages that would motivate HPV vaccination

Forgone vaccination during childhood and adolescence: Findings of a statewide survey of parents

Widespread immunization confers both individual- and community-level protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. To better understand vaccine hesitancy, we assessed correlates of forgone vaccination for children and adolescents