HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Counseling With Younger Adolescents: Implications for Primary Care
Ann Fam Med Sussman et al.
5: 298
The Article in Brief
HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Counseling with Younger Adolescents: Implications for Primary Care
Andrew L. Sussman, PhD, MCRP, and colleagues
Background Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is linked to cervical cancer, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. The first HPV vaccine, for females 9 to 26 years old, was approved in 2006. Primary care clinicians play an important role in counseling patients about preventing sexually transmitted diseases; this study looks at factors that influence their counseling of adolescent patients about HPV and cervical cancer prevention.
What This Study Found Primary care clinicians believe they should counsel adolescents about sexual risk taking, because these patients may take part in risky behaviors. Clinicians tailor their approaches to counseling, based on cues from patients and parents. In this study, clinicians did not usually discuss HPV in counseling for sexually transmitted diseases because of the complexities of the topic and because of other important tasks to be accomplished in the patient visit. They did counsel for HPV when the patient had abnormal Pap results or genital warts, but in these cases the adolescent is not a candidate for HPV vaccination. The study also found that parents accompany younger adolescents to most of their primary care visits. This is a consideration, because the HPV vaccine is most beneficial if administered before an individual is sexually active and because clinicians prefer to talk to the patient privately, without a parent present.
Implications
- This study provides a step toward better understanding factors that influence primary care clinicians in their decisions about counseling adolescent patients on HPV and cervical cancer prevention.
- Primary care clinicians need strategies that address the complexities of HPV counseling, the limitations of the HPV vaccine, the need to counsel for HPV and cervical cancer prevention at younger age
- Primary care clinicians may need to shift their counseling methods to address sexual activity and the HPV vaccine with preadolescents with their parents present.
