Society of behavioral medicine supports increasing HPV vaccination uptake: an urgent opportunity for cancer prevention.
Caryn E Peterson, J Andrew Dykens, Noel T Brewer, Joanna Buscemi, Karriem Watson, DeLawnia Comer-Hagans, Zo Ramamonjiarivelo, Marian Fitzgibbon
Author Information
Caryn E Peterson: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MC923), School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 West Taylor Street, Room 888, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. cpeter1@uic.edu.
J Andrew Dykens: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Noel T Brewer: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Joanna Buscemi: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Karriem Watson: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
DeLawnia Comer-Hagans: Governors State University, University Park, IL, USA.
Zo Ramamonjiarivelo: Governors State University, University Park, IL, USA.
Marian Fitzgibbon: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage remains low in the USA. The Society for Behavioral Medicine (SBM) supports the goals outlined by Healthy People 2020, the President's Cancer Panel, and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee to increase vaccination coverage among both males and females. SBM makes the following recommendations in support of efforts to reduce structural and other barriers to HPV vaccination services in order to increase rates of series completion. We encourage legislators and other policymakers to improve administration authority, insurance coverage, and reimbursement rates to healthcare providers who make the HPV vaccine available to adolescents; provide instrumental support to fund the development of school curricula on HPV vaccination; and increase public awareness that HPV vaccination can prevent cancer. We urge healthcare providers and healthcare systems to increase the strength, quality, and consistency of HPV vaccination recommendations for all eligible patients; to treat HPV vaccination as a routine preventive service; employ culturally appropriate communication strategies in clinical settings to educate eligible patients, parents, and guardians about the importance, effectiveness, and safety of HPV vaccination; and to strengthen and better coordinate the use of electronic medical records and immunization information systems.
