NEW UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REPORT – BASED ON KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS RESEARCH – REVEALS MAJORITY OF PARENTS DO NOT SUPPORT MANDATORY HPV INOCULATION

Menlo Park, CA; May 23, 2007: The third in a series of reports from the University of Michigan’s C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital illuminates parents’ attitudes towards proposed mandates for two newly recommended vaccines among children attending public schools. The University commissioned Knowledge Networks to conduct the research using the company’s online KnowledgePanel®, which is representative of the U.S. population.

The study found that 44% of parents would support a school mandate for girls entering the 9th grade to receive the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), which is linked to cervical cancer and genital warts; 26% of parents opposed such a mandate, and 30% were neutral.

Parents of teens were less likely to support an HPV vaccine mandate, as compared to those with children under 6 years old (40% versus 53%); and women were more likely than men (48% versus 38%) to favor mandatory HPV inoculation. Twenty-five states (including D.C.) have enacted or are introducing bills that would require girls attending public school to receive the HPV vaccine.

According to the same poll research, however, most parents (68%) do favor a mandate for use of "Tdap" vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.

"Having Knowledge Networks as a research partner has been essential to this important series of reports," said Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., and Director of the National Poll on Children’s Health. "The ability to survey a representative sample of the full population allowed us to draw valid conclusions for the U.S. as a whole."

Knowledge Networks conducted the survey in March 2007 to a randomly selected, stratified group of adults on KnowledgePanel® who were eighteen years of age and older. The sample was comprised of 2,076 people, including those with and without children. This report reflects responses from a subsample of 1,342 parents.

All members of KnowledgePanel® are recruited via a Random Digit Dial (RDD) telephone sample, and KN provides Internet service and hardware to chosen households that do not already have online access. As a result, the sample is scientifically valid and yields accurate measurements of attitudes and behaviors. By contrast, opt-in panels consist of self-selected volunteers whose survey responses reflect only their attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors; results based on their responses are not projectable to any other population group.

Knowledge Networks delivers extraordinary quality and service to guide leaders in business, government and academia – providing scientifically valid research through its probability-based, online KnowledgePanel®. The company delivers superior study design, science, analysis, and panel maintenance, along with a commitment to close collaboration at every stage of the research process. Knowledge Networks leverages its expertise in brands, media, advertising, and public policy issues to provide insights that speak directly to clients' most important concerns.

The U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health is funded by the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the U-M Health System. As part of the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit in the U-M Division of General Pediatrics, the National Poll on Children’s Health is designed to measure major health care issues and trends for U.S. children. For regular podcasts of polling results, go to www.med.umich.edu/podcast.