Study: "Sexual Matters Don’t Sway Mothers on HPV Vaccine" [View All]

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Sexual Matters Don’t Sway Mothers on HPV Vaccine

August 21, 2008 By Randy Dotinga, Contributing Writer Health Behavior News Service

The opinions of women about sexual matters do not play a significant role in their decisions about whether girls in their care should receive a vaccine against a sexually transmitted virus, according to a new survey.

The findings counteract assumptions that some mothers refuse to let their daughters be receive the HPV vaccination because they oppose sex before marriage, said study lead author Susan Rosenthal, director of the Division of Adolescent and Behavioral Health at University of Texas Medical Branch.

“Although there is a small minority of parents who object to the vaccine because of their beliefs about sexuality and the fact that it prevents a sexually transmitted infection, to most parents the mode of transmission is not what’s important,” she said.

In the new study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers surveyed 153 mothers and guardians of daughters ages 11 to 17 who visited a pediatric clinic in Galveston, Texas, in 2007 and 2008. ....“The families who are struggling with what to do about this vaccine are focused on issues like safety” instead of sexual morality, Rosenthal said. “They want us to have more experience with it and have it used by more people.”

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