Date of Award

Spring 5-2026

Language

English

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Anthropology

Advisor/Committee Chair

Julia Jennings

Abstract

Low rates of on-time human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination continue to remain a significant public health concern, particularly in rural communities, one being Lewis County NY, which reports the lowest rate of vaccination in the state.  This study, through Upstate Medical University, uses a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model in efforts to examine barriers to HPV vaccination and identifying community-driven solutions formulated by committee members from within the community.  A steering committee composed of researchers and community members, who were also co-researchers, worked collaboratively to develop and distribute surveys to healthcare providers, dentists, and parents.  Responses revealed that while many parents demonstrated a baseline understanding of HPV and the vaccinations, vaccination rates, and willingness to vaccinate children remain low, largely due to mistrust of healthcare and fear of side effects.  Providers reported limited confidence in discussing the vaccination with patients, and in some cases, delay vaccination past the recommended guidelines.  Dentists demonstrated notable gaps in knowledge about HPV and vaccination and reported feeling as if discussing the HPV vaccine with patients was out of their professional scope.  These findings suggest that barriers to HPV vaccination spans beyond parental awareness and include provider and dentist education deficiencies.  To combat this the committee formulated targeted interventions, including educational campaigns and community outreach strategies.  This study highlights the importance of community-engaged research in addressing healthcare disparities in rural settings, and the need for many different strategies to improve HPV vaccination.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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