Operationalizing outcome measures of human papillomavirus vaccination among adolescents

Decisions of how to operationalize outcomes of HPV vaccine initiation among adolescents can lead to different conclusions about the role of age and gender differences for several predictive variables. To inform the development of public health efforts that promote on-time HPV vaccination among male and female adolescents, researchers should consider the importance of dose timing when operationalizing outcome measures. We recommend including on-time receipt of the HPV vaccine as an outcome measure.