Allowing teens to consent to getting the human papillomavirus vaccine without parental involvement could be an important strategy for improving vaccination rates, a new study shows.

The strategy is already a policy in a handful of US states.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which is recommended for children between ages 11 and 12, is highly effective at preventing cervical cancer. But in the US, only 54% of adolescents are fully vaccinated against HPV, a rate lower than those of other adolescent vaccines, including those preventing meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.

For the new study in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers analyzed adolescent vaccination data in the US from 2015 to 2018, comparing HPV vaccination rates between the jurisdictions with these laws and those without. The data set included 81,889 adolescents aged 13 to 17.

They found a positive correlation between the jurisdictions that allow adolescents to consent to the HPV vaccine and higher first-dose vaccination rates. In areas with the laws, 67.9% of adolescents had received at least the first dose of the vaccine compared with 61.4% of adolescents in states without the laws.

While the researchers can’t say definitely whether these laws are driving the higher vaccination rates, it’s worth considering what effect they might have if adopted more widely, says senior author Sangini Sheth, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale University.

“It’s certainly food for thought,” she says. “I think it could lead to some very interesting policy conversations.”

Read the full article about HPV vaccine rates by Fred Mamoun at Futurity.