Hello! My name is Holly Fontenot, PhD, RN/NP, FAAN. I am a professor of nursing at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. You are invited to take part in an important research study. In this study you and other parents of 9 to 17-year-old adolescents from across the United States have an opportunity to provide your thoughts and beliefs which are critical to helping to shape future messaging and age recommendations for HPV vaccination. We want to hear your voice to help shape these future efforts and understand what you need!

What am I being asked to do?

If you participate in this project, you will be asked to engage in a one-time online text-only discussion (no video) and answer a very brief online demographic questionnaire.

Taking part in this study is your choice.

Your participation in this project is completely voluntary. You may stop participating at any time. If you stop being in the study, there will be no penalty or loss to you. Your choice to participate or not participate will not affect your standing or rights in any way with any organization or institution including InsideHeads.

Why is this study being done?

The purpose of this study is to generate an in-depth understanding of parents’ thoughts about the age in which their child obtains the HPV vaccine. You are being asked to participate because you are a parent of a child aged 9 to 10 years.

What will happen if I decide to take part in this study?

The online focus group discussion will not take longer than 60-90 minutes. Discussions are done from the comfort of your own home or place of your choice. They are text-based, answering questions and engaging in a discussion by typing. You will be asked questions about your thoughts, beliefs and perceptions about HPV vaccines, vaccinating your child/ren, and age recommendations. You will also answer a very brief demographic questionnaire.

What are the risks and benefits of taking part in this study?

I believe there little to no risk to you for participating in this research project. You may become stressed or uncomfortable answering any of the discussion questions. If you do become stressed or uncomfortable, you can choose to not answers the question or take a break. You can also stop engaging in the discussion and withdraw from the project altogether.

There will be no direct benefit to you for participating in this online focus group. The results of this project may help improve communication via social media about vaccination.

Confidentiality and Privacy:

This discussion is anonymous; you are identified by pseudonym only. We are not collecting any personal information, such as your name or address. Although we ask everyone in the focus group to respect everyone’s privacy and confidentiality, and not to identify anyone in the group or repeat what is said during the group discussion, please remember that other participants in the group may accidentally disclose what was said. Avoid sharing personal information that you may not wish to be known. I will keep the study data secure in a locked filing cabinet in a locked office/ encrypted on a password protected computer. Other agencies that have legal permission have the right to review research records. The University of Hawai'i Human Studies Program has the right to review research records for this study.

Compensation:

InsideHeads will distribute compensation for participating ($75 Amazon Gift Card). If you leave the online discussion within the first 30 minutes compensation will be reduced in half ($38), for any amount of participation beyond that- compensation is in full. We thank you in advance for your time and effort in participating in this research project.

Future Research Studies: Data collected will be anonymous, we are not collecting personal identifiers- data is collected for this study only and will not be used or distributed for future research studies.

Questions: If you have any questions about this study, please call or email me at 808-956-4917 & hbfont@hawaii.edu. You may contact the UH Human Studies Program at 808.956.5007 or uhirb@hawaii.edu to discuss problems, concerns and questions, obtain information, or offer input with an informed individual who is unaffiliated with the specific research protocol. Please visit http://go.hawaii.edu/jRd for more information on your rights as a research participant.

To Access the screening questionnaire: Please select the InsideHeads project window in your browser to continue the screening questionnaire. If you have read the study information and would like to be considered, check “Yes, I consent” to continue.

To Access the focus group: Qualified and verified respondents will be invited to participate in one online focus group on either June 10 or 11, 2025. Invited participants will be contacted via email and phone with a secure link to access the virtual focus facility.

Please print or save a copy of this page for your reference.

Thank you for your time!