Communications and Media

For years, the development of a vaccine against the Human papillomavirus (HPV) demonstrates and marks a significant step towards the reduction of several reproductive health concerns, primarily cervical cancer. However, the success of the HPV vaccination programs will depend on parents open-mindedness and consent to have their female and possibly male children in the preadolescent and early adolescent years vaccinated. Gina Ogilvie et al., in their 2007 HPV related study have focused on parental intention to have their female and or male children vaccinated. In their study, they also determine the factors that may influence this intention, including concerns regarding the perception that recipients of the vaccine may be seen or interpreted as condoning earlier and more frequent sexual behavior. The study also included the attitude towards vaccination in general, geographical location, awareness of HPV, and recommendations from health professionals in receiving the vaccine. In general, most parents surveyed in the study intended to have their daughter receive the vaccine against HPV and those who reported this intent were also more likely to have their male children to be vaccinated as well.  

The study respondents were parents across Canada with children aged 8-18 years. The set of questions given to them were in a context of a grade 6, publicly funded, school based HPV vaccine program. Using a backward logistic regression analysis to identify the predictive intention of the parents to have their daughters vaccinated, more than 70 percent of the respondents (95 percent level of confidence) expressed their consent in having their daughters vaccinated against HPV. The study also used a multivariable modeling method which determined the positive attitude of respondents towards vaccines, those influenced by the subjective norms, and those who felt that the vaccine has a limited influence on sexual behavior. In the study, respondents who thought someone they knew could get cervical cancer were more likely to intend that their daughters receive the HPV vaccine. The study showed that most parents intended to have their daughters vaccinated with the HPV vaccine. Overall attitudes towards vaccines and in particular with the HPV vaccine showed the most significant predictor of parental intention with regard to vaccination.

Using the research to study health communication, we learn that health communication encompasses various communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health. This effort is necessary in efforts to improve personal and public health, and greatly helps in all aspects of disease prevention and health promotion. Individuals can benefit in health communication in terms of raising the awareness level on risks and solutions, provide the motivation and skills needed to reduce the risks, help individuals find support with similar situations, and affect or reinforce attitudes. Health communication can also be a tool in increasing the efficiency of health services, it can even influence public agenda, advocate policies and programs, ad promote positive changes which greatly influence socioeconomic and physical environment developments.