What is the For Our Children program?
A multilevel evidence-based program aimed to increase HPV vaccination in pediatric populations. This multi-level program consists of two educational elements:
- tools for parents of adolescents ages 9-17
- tools for clinicians who provide health care services to adolescents ages 9-17.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health developed both programs with funding from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). On this website, you will find more information about HPV, our programs, and access links to each component's website.
What is HPV?
Human Papillomavirus or HPV is a common virus that causes genital, oral and skin infections. There are more than 100 types of HPV.
Most HPV infections clear up on their own and do not cause any symptoms. However, when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like cancer and genital warts.
HPV is the major cause of cervical cancer, as well as some cancers of the anus, vagina, vulva, penis and oropharynx (back of the throat).
Why is HPV vaccination important?
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Currently, about 79 million Americans are infected with HPV, and another 14 million become infected each year. Around 50% of new infections occur in people aged between 15 to 24 years.
Every year, about 31,000 Americans develop HPV-related cancers. Most of these cancers can be prevented by the HPV vaccine.
The HPV vaccine is routinely recommend for boys and girls aged 11 or 12 years, and can be started at age 9 years. The vaccine is available to young women through age 26 years and young men through age 21 years.
Although the HPV vaccine is safe and effective, vaccination rates in the United States remain low.
Parents usually decide if their child will get the HPV vaccine. Some parents may be interested in vaccination but still have questions about the HPV vaccine. A strong recommendation from a healthcare professional can persuade parents to vaccinate their child against HPV-related cancers.
For more information visit: HPV For Parents & Public or HPV for Healthcare Providers
Parent Education Program
For Our Children (Por Nuestros Hijos) is designed to educate parents about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and motivate them to vaccinate their adolescent children aged 9 – 17. The program features bilingual resources (English/Spanish), which health professionals can use to educate parents about HPV and address parental concerns about the HPV vaccine.
On the For Our Children training website, you will find all the resources needed for program adoption and implementation, including:
- Program planning
- Staff training
- Parent education
Click here for the For Our Children program website.
Healthcare Provider Program
HPVCancerCoach is an educational tool that outlines best practices for recommending the HPV vaccine. This program will assist healthcare providers in making strong, high quality, and effective recommendations. Doing so will help clinics to increase HPV vaccination rates and protect all of the children in their care from HPV-related cancers.
On the HPVCancerCoach training website, you will find all the resources needed for program adoption and implementation, including:
- Program planning
- Staff training
- Access to the HPVCancerCoach app
- Additional resources for health care professionals
Click here for the HPVCancerCoach program website.
Testimonials
“The [For Our Children] program helps promotoras learn about HPV and the HPV vaccine. It provides specific information about risk factors and diseases associated with the virus. Learning about this not only increased their knowledge but also made promotoras feel more comfortable when implementing cancer prevention programs.”
“This program helps eliminate the stigma behind the HPV vaccine and debunk a lot of the myths that go along with it. Especially among community health workers... for them being educated and taking information back to their own communities is satisfying because they are helping debunk myths and hopefully getting their communities vaccinated and healthier.”
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This program was developed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health with funding from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (PP160051; PI: Maria E. Fernández). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas.