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HPV Vaccine Education: Enhancing Knowledge and Attitudes of Community Counselors and Educators

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Abstract

Educational efforts targeting parents of preadolescents may help them make informed decisions about having their children vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). We conducted a pilot study examining knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of community-based health educators and counselors who routinely disseminate sexual health and prevention information through counseling and supporting these parents. We evaluated the impact of a single, brief workshop by administering questionnaires before and after the session. The workshop consisted of an educational intervention that was presented orally by an expert in gynecological oncology and was followed by an open discussion period. Following the information and discussion session, improvements were seen in knowledge accuracy, confidence in being able to discuss HPV vaccine issues with parents, greater willingness to recommend the vaccine, and a better understanding of potential barriers to vaccine uptake. These results suggest that health educators and counselors may be better prepared to encourage their clients to make well-informed decisions regarding HPV vaccination.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a team grant (Clinical Research Network on HPV and Allied Diseases) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The authors would like to thank Leonora King, Carol Liverman from Ometz (Montreal), the Louise Granofsky Psychosocial Oncology Program (Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital) Psychosocial Oncology Research Training (PORT), and McGill University for their important support of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Z. Rosberger & A. Krawczyk

  2. Psychosocial Oncology Program, Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Z. Rosberger & A. Krawczyk

  3. Louise Granofsky Psychosocial Oncology Program, Segal Cancer Center, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Z. Rosberger

  4. Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Z. Rosberger & E. Stephenson

  5. Division of Gynecological Oncology, Segal Cancer Center, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Z. Rosberger & S. Lau

  6. Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, 4333 Cote Ste-Catherine Road, Room 214, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3T 1E4

    Z. Rosberger

Authors
  1. Z. Rosberger
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  2. A. Krawczyk
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  3. E. Stephenson
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  4. S. Lau
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Z. Rosberger.

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Rosberger, Z., Krawczyk, A., Stephenson, E. et al. HPV Vaccine Education: Enhancing Knowledge and Attitudes of Community Counselors and Educators. J Canc Educ 29, 473–477 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0572-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0572-z

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