ForkHPV! HPV Vaccine Hesitancy: Psychology Group

Reconciling the suboptimal rates of HPV vaccination is a unique challenge to current public health initiatives. Although the HPV vaccine has been proven to prevent certain types of cancer, some individuals are still hesitant to vaccinate. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the various factors that influence HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents and their children, including college-aged individuals. An exploration into parental concerns reveals the role of parents' fear of potential adverse effects for their children, most notably the baseless concern about future infertility. Additional apprehensions include the widespread distrust in health-related institutions and healthcare providers linked to vaccine hesitancy. We also examine the role of social media and how it can influence HPV vaccine hesitancy. Last, we aim to identify effective strategies to address HPV vaccine hesitancy and suggest potential solutions to increase vaccine uptake and series completion. To address HPV vaccine hesitancy and complacency, healthcare providers and researchers can create social media campaigns to disseminate accurate information, inform college students about vaccine benefits, and organize convenient “pop-up” vaccine clinics to improve accessibility.