Understanding women's hesitancy to undergo less frequent cervical cancer screening.

Inappropriate cervical cancer screening (e.g., screening too often) can result in unnecessary medical procedures, treatment, and psychological distress.

Predictors of provider recommendation for HPV vaccine among young adult men and women: findings from a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Although physician recommendation is one of the strongest predictors of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, it is unclear for whom physicians are recommending the vaccine. To help guide intervention efforts, this study investigated predictors of participant-reported physician recommendation for HPV vaccine among young adults in the USA.

Methods: Women and men (N=223) aged 18-26 years were recruited online through Craigslist, a popular classified advertisements website.

Predicting human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in young adult women: comparing the health belief model and theory of planned behavior.

Background: Although theories of health behavior have guided thousands of studies, relatively few studies have compared these theories against one another.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to compare two classic theories of health behavior-the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-in their prediction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Methods: After watching a gain-framed, loss-framed, or control video, women (N = 739) ages 18-26 completed a survey assessing HBM and TPB constructs.

The multidimensional nature of perceived barriers: global versus practical barriers to HPV vaccination.

Objective: Perceived barriers are one of the strongest determinants of health behavior. The current study presents a novel conceptualization of perceived barriers by testing the following hypotheses: (a) perceived barriers are multidimensional and thus should cluster into distinct factors; (b) practical barriers should be salient for individuals intending to engage in a particular health behavior, whereas global barriers should be salient for individuals not intending to enact the behavior; and (c) whereas global barriers should be negatively associated with behavioral intentions, practical barriers should be positively related to intentions.

Methods: The context for this investigation was young adult women's perceived barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Correlates of HPV knowledge in the era of HPV vaccination: a study of unvaccinated young adult women.

Until recently, awareness of the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus-the virus that causes cervical cancer-was relatively low. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with human papillomavirus knowledge now that human papillomavirus vaccines have become widely available. Young adult women (n = 739; aged 18-26 years) attending Florida State University who had not yet initiated human papillomavirus vaccination completed a survey between March-August 2009.

Behavioral frequency moderates the effects of message framing on HPV vaccine acceptability.

Background: Research suggests that gain-framed messages are generally more effective than loss-framed messages at promoting preventive health behaviors. Virtually all previous studies, however, have examined prevention behaviors that require regular and repeated action to be effective. Little is known about the utility of message framing for promoting low-frequency prevention behaviors such as vaccination.

Using message framing to promote acceptance of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Objective: Use of message framing for encouraging vaccination, an increasingly common preventive health behavior, has received little empirical investigation. The authors examined the relative effectiveness of gain-versus loss-framed messages in promoting acceptance of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)-a virus responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer.

Design: Undergraduate women (N = 121) were randomly assigned to read a booklet describing the benefits of receiving (gain-framed message) or the costs of not receiving (loss-framed message) a prophylactic HPV vaccine.

Predictors of human papillomavirus vaccination acceptability among underserved women.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine underserved women's acceptability of the forthcoming human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and to identify correlates of HPV vaccine acceptability.

Study Design: A sample of primarily low-income minority women (n = 58) recruited from community health clinics completed a semistructured interview assessing health beliefs, vaccination attitudes, health behavior, and HPV vaccination intentions.

Results: Personal acceptability of the HPV vaccines was generally high.

Proliferation of electronic health records among obstetrician-gynecologists.

Objective: To examine the current use of electronic health records (EHRs) and their key subfunctions among obstetrician-gynecologists and compare this trend with other doctors.

Methods: In this study, we examined responses to a large statewide study of EHR use among Florida physicians practicing in the ambulatory setting. For assessment purposes, we compared obstetrician-gynecologists with other primary care physicians (PCPs) and surgeons with respect to EHR utilization, the availability of key EHR functions, and time since adoption.

Gonadal steroids, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and mood disorders in women.

That gonadal steroids influence the limbic system and that they affect neurotransmitter activity is undisputed. Because of these known actions, and because ET and HT alleviate hot flushes and resultant sleep disturbances, they may improve mood and sense of well-being in healthy climacteric women. However, estrogen plus progestin did not decrease depressive symptoms in the WHI, the largest double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of hormone replacement yet performed.

Pharmacy-based care for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Perimenopause and menopause represent a major physiologic and, often, psychosocial transition in the lives of women. During this time, women often experience disturbing new symptoms and develop an increased awareness of their risks for major chronic illnesses. Women in this stage of life are often highly motivated to improve their health and can benefit greatly from pharmacy-based preventive health care services.

Therapeutic options in female sexual dysfunction.

Objective: To review the psychology and physiology of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and explore current strategies for prevention and treatment.

Data Sources: Articles identified through a MEDLINE search using the term female sexual dysfunction. Additional references were identified from the bibliographies of retrieved articles.