Parents' hesitancy surrounding the human papillomavirus vaccine grew from 50.4 percent in 2012 to 64 percent in 2018, despite more providers recommending the HPV vaccine to their adolescent patients, according to research published in the February edition of Pediatrics.
Researchers analyzed data from the CDC's National Immunization Survey from 2012-2018 and found that parental reluctance to initiate the HPV vaccine series for girls increased from 54.1 percent to 68.1 percent. For boys, parental reluctance for the vaccine rose from 44.4 percent to 59.2 percent over the six-year period.
Overall, there were 7.3 million vaccine eligible U.S. adolescents who were unvaccinated in 2018, the study's data showed.
"Our findings imply that recommendations alone will not lead to substantial improvements in vaccine update," the study says. "Providers should proactively use tools such as motivational interviewing and presumptive announcements when they encounter hesitancy."