Using Community Based Participatory Research and Community Engagement Approaches with Established Community Partnerships to Assess Barries to HPV Immunization with Gardasil in Underserved Girls and Adolescents in a Philadelphia Neighborhood

The project goal was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing an HPV immunization program, designed to increase uptake and completion rates in 9-18 year old females, in an out-of-school-time (OST) program. This project had two major aims: The first was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about HPV and the HPV vaccine among adolescents and parents in an out of school time program, and to determine the barriers to initiating and completing the HPV immunization series. The second was to suggest a population-specific intervention for an out of school time program designed to increase HPV vaccination completion rates. In order to accomplish these goals, focus groups were conducted with 21 teens enrolled in the after-school and summer programs at the North Light Community Center in Philadelphia, PA, and 14 parents. After completion of the focus groups, triangulation and qualitative analyses were conducted. Themes that emerged from both the parent and teen population included: 1. Strong beliefs exist among teens and parents that doctors provide accurate information regarding vaccine practices. 2. Teens trust parents’ judgment about HPV vaccine. 3. Media messages lack clarity and are misunderstood; 4. Misconceptions about who should get the vaccine, why and when it should be given. The information collected during these focus groups was used to make recommendations for an educational program for both the teens and the parents that best suits the specific needs of this community