2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Online Program

337405
Amplifying the impact of vaccination health policy through community outreach and health education: A multimedia toolkit promoting Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination in Panama


Monday, November 2, 2015

Lisa Gantz, M.D., B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Jeffrey Yeh, M.S., Keck School of Medicine of USC, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lauren Mills, B.S., Keck School of Medicine of USC, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Morgan Hess-Holtz, MPH, CPH, USF Health International Foundation, Panama City, Panama
Arlene Calvo, PhD, MPH, Community and Family Health, Global Health, University of South Florida Panama Program, Panama, Panama
Lourdes Alguero, RN, MPH, Universidad de Panamá, Panama
Sheila Murphy, PhD, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lourdes Baezconde Garbanati, PhD, MPH, Keck School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Background: The HPV vaccine is available in Panama at no cost to a target population of girls aged 10 years as part of the national vaccination program.  Although coverage rates have been reported as >80%, persistent knowledge gaps in the community may perpetuate underutilization of the HPV vaccine.

Methods: Women aged 18-65 participated in a series of surveys, focus groups, and interviews to inform the production of an educational multimedia toolkit for use by community health workers.  Topics include HPV vaccine eligibility, dosage schedule, and vaccination risks and benefits. Toolkit components include an interactive game, two “charlas” (educational talks), two pamphlets, and two educational films. These materials were tested via individual interviews and pre- and post-test surveys among parents in the community.

Results/Conclusions: The toolkit was pre-tested and received positive feedback from community members (n=47). The educational video was pre-tested among a group of parents; at baseline, 37% of parents were unable to identify the correct age of eligibility for free vaccines and 47% answered incorrectly when asked about the number of vaccine doses required. After viewing the video, 95% of respondents correctly identified age of eligibility and 89% correctly reported the required number of doses (n=19). The multimedia toolkit is being utilized by the Ministry of Health to enhance training programs for the National Program for Sexual and Reproductive Health, and both the toolkit and video will be incorporated into activities at both local and regional health centers and schools for education of adolescents and parents. 

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Design, pretest, and produce an educational intervention to address HPV vaccination of young girls among women aged 18-65 in Panama City, Panama. Measure the effectiveness of a multimedia toolkit to increase knowledge about HPV vaccination among women aged 18-65 in Panama City, Panama.

Keyword(s): Health Promotion and Education, Immunizations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in women’s health research for over 2 years. As lead investigator for this project in Panama, I have been involved from conception of the protocol through data collection and data analysis. I have gained extensive experience in public health research. I have the support of multiple mentors with experience in numerous large-scale international grants focusing on sociocultural aspects of women’s health, community based participatory research, and cancer prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3316.0: PHEHP Student Research Awards