A Tailored School-based Intervention to Increase Vaccination Uptake among Adolescents (INVEST) in the Rural South
(CDC 1U01IP001095; PI: Dr. Emmanuel Walter/ Duke University; Site PI: Dr. Harrison)
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Gather formative data to inform the development of a school-based intervention to increase HPV vaccination among rural adolescents by conducting:
Large-scale survey with 1,100 rural and urban parents across 14 Southern states
Focus groups with parents of adolescents
In-depth, individual interviews with rural providers and statewide stakeholders (e.g., DHEC officials, leaders of health organizations)
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Develop a tailored, school-based intervention to increase HPV vaccination in rural counties and “theater test” the intervention with relevant stakeholders
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Implement the intervention in four rural counties in North Carolina and South Carolina and follow over time to determine whether HPV vaccination increases
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world, and high-risk strains of HIV cause six types of cancer for women and men, including nearly all cases of cervical cancer, as well as oropharyngeal (i.e., head, neck, and throat) cancers, penile cancer, anal cancer, and cancers of the vagina and vulva. A safe and effective vaccine to prevent HPV exists, but uptake remains low, especially in the Southern US. In addition, rural adolescents are less likely than urban adolescents to start and complete their HPV vaccine series. This 3-year CDC project aims to better understand rural-urban disparities in adolescent HPV vaccination, develop an intervention tailored to the needs of rural communities, and implement the intervention in rural counties in North Carolina and South Carolina. This study is being conducted over the course of three phases.