Study: Increasing Number of Parents Who Decline HPV Vaccination for Teens Cite Safety Concerns

The HPV vaccine has been approved as safe and effective in preventing cancer, and yet vaccination coverage remains low as more parents cite vaccine safety as a reason for not intending to vaccinate their adolescent children, according to a new study. In, “Trends in Reasons for Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy: 2010-2020,” published in the June 2023 Pediatrics (published online May 23), researchers analyzed data from the 2010–2020 National Immunization Survey–Teen that included 119,695 unvaccinated adolescents ages 13-17. They identified trends for HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents with unvaccinated adolescents as: “not necessary,” “safety concerns,” “lack of recommendation,” “lack of knowledge,” and “not sexually active.” Overall, parental HPV vaccine hesitancy decreased by 5.5% annually between 2010 and 2012 and then remained stable for the 9-year period of 2012 through 2020. The proportion of parents citing “safety or side effects” as a reason for vaccine hesitancy increased significantly by 15.6% annually from 2010 to 2018. The authors say the increase in safety concerns is likely due in part to widespread distribution of vaccine misinformation on the internet. As of 2020, about 75% of adolescents had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine and 58.6% had completed the series – either 2 or 3 doses based on age of initiation. This rate falls short of the Healthy People 2030 goal of 80% completion among teens between ages 13-15. The authors suggest their findings support efforts to enhance confidence in HPV vaccination and develop strategies for addressing HPV vaccine hesitancy.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.