An abstract of a study by Kowalczyk Mullins et al examining attitudes among physicians providing primary care to adolescents, a prescriber group likely to provide HIV prevention to at-risk youth. ...Results showed that physicians viewed topical microbicides more favorably than oral PrEP; physicians perceived that topical agents would have fewer side effects (n=5), fit easier into current practice (n=3), be unlikely to be associated with HIV viral resistance (n=2), and be more amenable to prescribing without the need to involve parents (n=2). Perceived benefits of prescribing oral PrEP and topical microbicides were similar, including decreased acquisition of HIV, empowering patients with regard to control of their own reproductive health, improving patient knowledge about HIV, and improving provision of sexual health services. Perceived barriers to prescribing topical microbicides included concerns about cost (n=6), side effects (n=5), access to prescribers and product (n=5), risk compensation (n=4), and acceptability to patients (n=3). More physicians reported preference for parental involvement in the prescription of oral PrEP vs. topical microbicide (6 vs. 2). While 6 (75%) physicians reported being highly or somewhat likely to recommend or prescribe topical microbicides, 4 (50%) physicians reported the same likelihood of recommending or prescribing oral PrEP.
An abstract of a study by Fontenot et al studying to elicit young men who have sex with men's (YMSM) beliefs about HPV and the HPV vaccine as well as describe perceived barriers and facilitators of ...vaccine initiation and completion is presented. The 34 YMSM with a mean age of 20.8 years (range=18-26) participated. The sample was diverse, with the largest proportion of youth identifying as Black (35.4%). Their findings point to some clear avenues to pursue in research and practice to improve HPV vaccination rates among YMSM, including increased use of mobile health strategies, making HPV vaccination a co-occurring part of other health-related services, and providing information on the relevance f HPV and HPV vaccination to YMSM.
An abstract of a study by Imburgia et al examining factors associated with influenza vaccination among 9-13 year old children and describing parents' reported reasons for vaccinating or not ...vaccinating children is presented. The findings suggest that healthcare provider (HCP) recommendations are crucial to influenza vaccine uptake in early adolescents. Furthermore, HCPs are well-positioned to explain the benefits of influenza vaccination and address parental concerns about efficacy and safety. Training HCPs to effectively assess parents' pre-existing attitudes toward influenza vaccination may help them to tailor their communication strategies to better address parental objections.
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