Training Years: 2017-2018
Training Site: Tulane Health Office for Latin America
Country: Peru
Mentors: Valerie Paz-Soldan; Aubrey Madkour
Title: Parentally ascribed adolescent sex and gender scripts and their effects on parental Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination acceptability and uptake among adolescent girls in Peru.
Project Objectives: The goal of this project is to determine how ascribed gender scripts for adolescent sex and sexuality affect the acceptability of HPV vaccination among mothers in Peru. This information will provide insight into how gender based beliefs about sexuality and cultural barriers affect parental decision making involving adolescent health while suggesting an intervention target to increase uptake and series completion among the current school-based programs targeting girls and any future efforts to vaccinate boys.
Aim 1: Identify adolescent sexual scripts held by mothers within the study population
Sub-Aim 1.2: Examine parental views of adolescent dating, sexual activity, pubertal changes, how mothers teach their female children about sex, the dynamics of these discussions and what they think about adolescent sexuality.
Sub-Aim 1.3: Based on qualitative results, develop quantitative measures of parental gender beliefs in relation to adolescent sexuality. (e.g., qualitative profiles or scales, depending on results.)
Aim 2: Analyze how mothers’ ascribed gender scripts affect their perception of cancer related risk of HPV infection for their daughters.
Sub Aim 2.1: Determine if mothers who ascribe more traditional scripts perceive less risk of HPV infection for daughters.
Sub Aim 2.2: Establish how parentally ascribed traditional scripts affect perceptions of need and effectiveness of female HPV vaccination.
Sub Aim 2.3: Investigate how ascribed sexual scripts for adolescent sexuality affect a parent’s perception of female HPV vaccination safety.
Sub Aim 2.4: Compare the effects of sexual scripts on mothers’ decision to initiate HPV vaccination and complete the series for their daughters.
NIH Support: Fogarty scholars doctoral training award
