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Professor Susan Grantham Presents Study Findings at the Society for Risk Analysis, Europe

August 22, 2019
Submitted By: Susan Grantham

Professor Susan Grantham presented findings from her third HPV vaccine study - HPV Vaccination Advertisements Focused on Males Lack Specific Information About HPV Related Risks and Related Cancers in Men - at the Society for Risk Analysis – Europe. The conference was held June 24-26 at Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany.  This is the third HPV vaccine related study spearheaded by Professor Grantham.

A noticeable trend among the first two studies indicated that information about the vaccines was not being communicated to either the males themselves or the parents of males in the recommended age range for receiving the vaccines. While physicians are the most trusted source of information, advertisements serve an important role in creating awareness about health issues. Advertisements regarding the vaccines and females have focused on the prevention of cervical cancer while advertisements regarding the vaccines and males have utilized a reference to a vague potential of cancer in males without specifying the type of HPV related cancers. At issue is the increasingly high rate of incidence of HPV-related neck and throat related cancers found in males in their late 20s and early 30s.

The study evaluated parents’ perception of the risk messaging used in the advertisements. The results indicated that the advertisements increased parents’ perception of reducing HPV related cancer risks and the reduction of dread of these risks for their daughters but not for their sons.