1. HPV Vaccine Education: Enhancing Knowledge and Attitudes of Community Counselors and Educators
- Author
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S. Lau, Zeev Rosberger, Andrea Krawczyk, and Ellen Stephenson
- Subjects
Adult ,Counseling ,Parents ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,MEDLINE ,Pilot Projects ,Health educators ,Nursing ,Intervention (counseling) ,Humans ,Medicine ,Community Health Services ,Papillomavirus Vaccines ,Health Education ,Papillomaviridae ,Reproductive health ,Community Health Workers ,Medical education ,Gynecological oncology ,business.industry ,Health Educators ,Papillomavirus Infections ,Vaccination ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,Patient Acceptance of Health Care ,Prognosis ,Community counselor ,Oncology ,Female ,Health education ,Willingness to recommend ,business ,Attitude to Health ,Follow-Up Studies - 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.
- Published
- 2013
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