In South Carolina (SC), African-American (AA) women experience excess cervical cancer mortality despite being screened more often that European American women. The reasons for this observation are complex and not well understood. The recent approval of a vaccine for some types of genital HPV infection, a main etiologic factor in the development of cervical disease, has made available a new tool for the prevention of cervical cancer and possible weapon in the fight against cancer disparities. The HPV vaccine is recommended for administration to 11-12 year old females (can be given as early as age 9 and """"""""catch up"""""""" doses for 13-26 year olds), so adult parents and guardians will often be making the decision to vaccinate their minor daughters. The faith-based setting has been open to other cancer prevention and control and HIV initiatives for AAs in SC, which makes the faith-based setting ideal for exploring HPV vaccine acceptability and opportunities for promotion. To date, HPV vaccine acceptability research has not focused on intervention development in community, non-medical settings. Experts have indicated that the success of the HPV vaccine in terms of reducing cervical cancer mortality is contingent upon exploring the feasibility of promoting and offering the vaccine in non-medical settings (e.g., schools, churches, community centers). The goal of the proposed study is to explore the acceptance of and opportunities for promotion of the HPV vaccine in faith-based settings. The proposed research builds upon research previously conducted in the Pee Dee region, an area with high cervical cancer incidence and mortality.
The specific aims for the proposed study are to: (1) Explore HPV vaccine acceptability in a faith-based setting; and (2) Identify opportunities for promoting the HPV vaccine in a faith-based setting. Focus groups (n=10) and in-depth interviews (n=20) will be conducted to address the specific aims. Focus group participants will be females and males (aged 18+) attending one of the participating AA churches. At least two focus groups will be conducted with parents of females in the target age group and at least two with females aged 18-26. In- depth interview participants will be members of church leadership and local community leaders. Data will be analyzed with a Project Advisory Team, including members of the community. All participants will be invited to take part in feedback sessions to review study findings and provide input to help investigators identify opportunities for interventions to increase acceptance, promote informed decision making about the vaccine, and potentially decrease cervical cancer incidence and mortality. A long-term outcome of the pilot project is to develop and test a relevant intervention to implement in faith-based settings. ? ? ?
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