Parents' Internet use for information about HPV vaccine

The Internet is an increasingly common source of health-related information. We sought to examine associations between parents' Internet information-seeking and their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

We interviewed parents within a year after approval of HPV vaccine for females and males. Participants were North Carolina parents with daughters ages 10-18 surveyed by telephone in Fall 2007 (n=773); and a national sample of parents with sons ages 11-17 surveyed online in Fall 2010 (n=115). We used multivariate regression to examine associations of past and intended Internet seeking for HPV vaccine information with knowledge and health belief model-related constructs.

Among parents of daughters, having heard of HPV vaccine through the Internet (8%) was associated with higher HPV knowledge, perceived likelihood of HPV, and vaccination willingness, and with receiving a doctor's recommendation. It was also associated with lower perceived vaccine harms, uncertainty, and anticipated regret. Parents of sons who heard of HPV vaccine through the Internet (10%) perceived greater barriers to vaccination than parents who learned about HPV vaccine for males through other sources. Intended future Internet information-seeking among parents of daughters (69%) was more likely if they perceived a lower likelihood that their daughters would get HPV if they were vaccinated (all p<.05).

Our findings suggest a positive influence of accessing information on the Internet about HPV vaccine. It was associated with higher knowledge and mostly positive parental attitudes and beliefs.