HPV Vaccine in Postpartum Women

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Overview

The purpose of this study is to determine the acceptability of HPV vaccination in postpartum women in Central Pennsylvania. Participants will be recruited while inpatient in the postpartum unit. Participants will complete a survey asking about knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs around vaccination, including HPV vaccination, as well as breastfeeding intentions. After survey completion, the participant will have the option to receive the HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9, prior to discharge from the hospital. All participants will then be contacted 1- week later for the follow-up survey.

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if postpartum women serve as a potential population to target in order to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Central Pennsylvania. Despite being available for almost a decade, uptake of the HPV vaccine in the US remains below other countries, including England, Scotland, and Australia. In fact, in 2017, only 67% of US girls aged 13-17 had obtained even one dose of the HPV vaccine series. Due to low rates of HPV vaccination in the United States and Central Pennsylvania, effective interventions are needed to help increase these rates. While vaccination is recommended at a younger age, it is effective among women 18-25 years old. Based on clinical trial data, giving the vaccine to this age group has resulted in reduced abnormal Pap test findings, referral for colposcopy, and treatment related to abnormal cervical cytology. However, the HPV vaccine is not usually discussed during prenatal care or routinely administered during pregnancy. Previous studies have shown that offering other vaccines postpartum (e.g. tetanus or pertussis) has been successful. By offering the vaccine to this demographic group, the investigators could potentially discover an untapped target population to help increase rates of HPV vaccination.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Conditions

HPV Infection

Interventions

HPV 9-valent Vaccine, RecombinantBIOLOGICAL

After consent, participants will complete an intake survey confirming eligibility. Participants will also complete a survey asking about knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs around vaccination, including HPV vaccination, as well as breastfeeding intentions. After survey completion, the participant will be asked if they would like to be administered the HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9. If participants do not agree, they will be contacted 1-week later for the follow-up survey. If participants do agree, the project coordinator will notify the study physician, who will place an order for the vaccine. The vaccine will be administered to the patient prior to discharge from the hospital. Participants will be contacted 1-week later for the follow-up survey.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 26 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Women postpartum with a live birth at Penn State Hershey Medical Center (PSHMC), either vaginal or cesarean delivery. 2. Women aged 18-26 (inclusive) years 3. Women who are on a Floor Status level of care. 4. Women who have completed 0 or 1 doses of the HPV vaccine STUDY00013831 Approval: 5/8/2020 Page 6 of 24 (V.01/21/2019) 5. Fluent in written and spoken English and other languages in which the Human Subjects Protection Office (HSPO) Consent Short From is available (French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hindi, Chinese and Nepali) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Women who have completed 2 or 3 doses of the HPV vaccine 2. Hypersensitivity, including severe allergic reactions to yeast (a vaccine component), or after a previous dose of GARDASIL 9 or GARDASIL®. 3. Allergic reaction to amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate or polysorbate 80 4. Women being actively treated for cancer. 5. Have a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38.0 degrees Celsius) 6. Women who are at an ICU level of Care 7. Women who are on a Labor and Delivery Level of Care 8. Women receiving continuous IV magnesium.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Prevalence of postpartum women who agree to HPV vaccination

Percentage of women who accept HPV vaccination when offered in the inpatient postpartum setting

Time frame: Day 1

Perception of HPV vaccination

Perception of HPV vaccination as measured via Likert scale questions in pre- and post survey. The investigators use a 5-point Likert scale, where '1' means 'strongly disagree', '2' means somewhat disagree, '3' means neither agree or disagree, '4' means somewhat agree, and '5' means 'strongly agree'. The higher the score, the more favorable the outcome.

Time frame: Day 8

Satisfaction to receive the HPV vaccine

Patient satisfaction with her decision to receive (or not receive) the HPV vaccine as measured via Likert scale questions in pre and post survey. The investigators use a 5-point Likert scale, where '1' means 'strongly disagree', '2' means somewhat disagree, '3' means neither agree or disagree, '4' means somewhat agree, and '5' means 'strongly agree'. The higher the score, the more favorable the outcome.

Time frame: Day 8

Secondary Outcomes

Perception of vaccines in general

Perception of vaccines overall (not specific to HPV) as measured via Likert scale questions in pre-survey. The investigators use a 5-point Likert scale, where '1' means 'strongly disagree', '2' means somewhat disagree, '3' means neither agree or disagree, '4' means somewhat agree, and '5' means 'strongly agree'. The higher the score, the more favorable the outcome.

Time frame: Day 1

Breastfeeding intentions and practices

Differences in breastfeeding intentions/practices for women who get HPV vaccine in the postpartum setting versus women who refuse HPV vaccine in the postpartum setting as measured by pre- and post-surveys.

Time frame: Days 1 and 8

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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