Increasing the rate of HPV vaccination among college students by using a theory based approach

Background: HPV is the most common STI in the US. The HPV vaccine is an effective method of primary prevention. In order to increase the rate of HPV vaccination, it is crucial to design theory-based interventions based on factors that influence individuals to get the HPV vaccine. The purpose of this study was to identify a set of variables that can predict individuals' intention to get the HPV vaccine using the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA).

Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 98 items, including demographic variables and items assessing RAA constructs, was administered to a sample of female college students (n = 608) recruited from a large Midwest university. Discriminant function analysis was conducted using attitude, perceived norms, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility and severity to cervical cancer as predictors of HPV vaccination.

Results: The discriminant functions were calculated; after removal of the first function, a strong association between groups (individuals who received vaccine vs. individuals who never received vaccine) and predictors still remained. The two discriminant functions remaining accounted for 59% and 25% of the between group variability respectively. The structure loading matrix between predictors and discriminant functions suggest that the best predictors for distinguishing between groups are attitudes and perceived norms of getting the HPV vaccine.

Implications: Results from the current study suggest that changing an individual's attitudes towards getting the vaccine and societal perceptions of the HPV vaccine will likely increase rates of vaccination. Findings also suggest that the RAA is a useful conceptual framework for designing effective interventions.