Beyond health beliefs: the role of trust in the HPV vaccine decision-making process among American college students

ABSTRACT

To address low HPV vaccination rates, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of trust in the HPV vaccine decision-making process among American college students. In particular, this study employs social-cognitive constructs from the widely used Health Belief Model (HBM), but also incorporates the role of interpersonal trust in one’s doctor and two types of institutional trust. A survey was administered to a convienance sample of 755 college students at a large Midwestern university between November 2012 and January 2013. Structural Equation Modelling was used to identify the direct and indirect pathways from three types of trust and three health beliefs to HPV vaccine intentions. Findings suggest that there are multiple pathways through which health beliefs and trust affect HPV vaccine intentions, with trust in one’s doctor having a direct, positive relationship with intentions, as well as indirect relationships through health beliefs. This study addressees some of the limitations of the HBM and suggests that studies examining predictors of HPV vaccination should move beyond a focus on rational calculations and examine the social context that shapes those beliefs, such as trust in one’s doctor, the health care system, and the pharmaceutical industry.

KEYWORDS:

• HPV vaccine
• college health
• health behaviour
• preventative health
• trust

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr. Jonathan Santo for his invaluable assistance and feedback, as well as the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s.