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Human Papillomavirus Knowledge and Awareness Among Vietnamese Mothers

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Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US and the primary cause of cervical cancer. Vietnamese American women have the highest incidence rates of cervical cancer but one of the lowest HPV vaccination rates. Parental knowledge is an important predictor of HPV vaccination; however, little is known about HPV knowledge in the Vietnamese American community. We aimed to describe the HPV knowledge of Vietnamese mothers in Houston, Texas and their intention to vaccinate their daughters. We conducted face-to-face interviews with Vietnamese mothers who had daughters aged 9–26 years. We collected data on demographics, acculturation, HPV knowledge, and vaccination intention. Knowledge scores (0–5) were calculated using 5 knowledge questions. We used logistic regression to identify predictors of HPV knowledge. Participants had low levels of acculturation by report of reading (31 %) and writing (23 %) English well. Less than 50 % of participants (n = 47) had heard of HPV, and among these, the mean HPV knowledge score was 4. Although only 1 in 3 had discussed HPV with their medical provider, nearly 86 % of participants who had not heard of HPV would vaccinate their daughter if their doctor had recommended it. Good written English skills and belief that the HPV vaccine was not expensive were predictors of HPV awareness. HPV awareness is low among less acculturated Vietnamese mothers in Houston. Future educational efforts about the role of HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer should be made in their language when targeting parents of a high risk Vietnamese population.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Hong Zhang, MS, for assistance with data analysis, and Donna Huang for administrative assistance. Dr. Yi received funding for this research from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Health’s Promotion, Public Education, and Outreach Programs Award PP100016. Dr. Hwang is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number K07CA132955.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA

    Jenny K. Yi

  2. Clarus Consulting Group, Houston, TX, USA

    Susan C. Lackey

  3. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Juan Castaneda

  4. Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 1465, P.O. Box 301402, Houston, TX, 77230-1402, USA

    Jessica P. Hwang

  5. Wilcrest Counseling Services, Houston, TX, USA

    Marion P. Zahn

Authors
  1. Jenny K. Yi
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  2. Susan C. Lackey
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  3. Marion P. Zahn
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  4. Juan Castaneda
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  5. Jessica P. Hwang
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Correspondence to Jessica P. Hwang.

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Yi, J.K., Lackey, S.C., Zahn, M.P. et al. Human Papillomavirus Knowledge and Awareness Among Vietnamese Mothers. J Community Health 38, 1003–1009 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9709-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9709-6

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