Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Sriya Krishnamoorthy

Abstract

Ethnic minorities are less likely to be vaccinated in comparison to White individuals. As a result, Blacks have one of the highest rates of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related complications. The purpose of the quantitative study was to identify significant factors predicting initiation of HPV vaccination in Black male adolescents. The study was based on the constructs of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and used a cross-sectional design that involved weighted data from the 2018 National Immunization Survey (n=395,067) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research questions were based on how factors such as fear, family involvement, sexual activity, healthcare provider recommendations, and personal opinions influence the initiation of HPV vaccine. The statistical analysis involved both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, using multiple logistic regression. There were statistically significant factors such as fear, family involvement, healthcare provider recommendations, and personal opinions, as well as nonsignificant factors such as sexual activity. The social change potential is to increase awareness about gender-related bias regarding vaccinations and expand knowledge on how social and cultural differences change an individual’s perspective. The study can be also used to influence social change in terms of informing healthcare providers that current vaccination programs could expand the potential target audience of HPV vaccines.

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