HPV vaccine: An opportunity for mother-daughter communication about sexual health

BACKGROUND: Discussions about HPV vaccine may provide opportunities for parents to talk with their children about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other sexual health issues. We sought to examine whether mother-daughter communication about HPV vaccine was associated with talking about sex. METHODS: We interviewed a national (U.S.) sample of mothers (n=951) of female adolescents aged 11-14 who were members of an Internet-based survey panel during December 2009. The sample was 75% non-Hispanic white, 9% non-Hispanic black, and 14% from rural areas. We analyzed data with logistic regression, controlling for factors associated with mother-daughter communication. RESULTS: Two thirds of mothers (65%) had previously talked with their daughters about HPV vaccine. They were more likely than mothers who had not talked with their daughters about HPV vaccine to have ever talked with their daughters about sex (93% vs. 78%, OR=1.97, 95%CI: 1.32-2.92). Indeed, about half of mothers (47%) included sex topics in their HPV vaccine discussions, of which 32% reported that discussing HPV vaccine facilitated talking about sex. In age-stratified analyses, talking about HPV vaccine was associated with talking about sex with daughters aged 11-12 (p<.01), but not those aged 13-14, perhaps because mothers had already initiated discussions about sex. CONCLUSIONS: Many mothers in this national sample had talked with their daughters about sex during HPV vaccine discussions. Our findings suggest that it may be possible to capitalize on HPV vaccination discussions to provide messages about sexual health and STI prevention to adolescents.

Supported by the CDC, ACS, and UNC's LCCC CCEP.