Parental awareness, knowledge, and hesitancy toward HPV vaccination for adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection and major cause of cervical and anogenital cancers. This study aimed to assess parental knowledge, vaccine hesitancy, and health beliefs concerning HPV infection and vaccination. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling among parents of adolescents aged 9-18 attending outpatient clinics at a tertiary hospital. The study collected sociodemographic characteristics and used the Health Belief Model Scale for HPV Infection and Vaccination to assess health beliefs, in order to identify factors associated with parental perceptions and vaccination attitudes. Results. A total of 320 parents participated in the study; 82.8% were mothers. Self-reported HPV infection was low (1.9%), and only 3.4% of parents and 2.8% of their children had been vaccinated. Awareness about HPV infection was 75%, and that of the HPV vaccine was 67.2%. However, only 30% of parents were willing to vaccinate their children, while 47.5% were uncertain. The most commonly reported barriers were lack of awareness (33.9%) and concerns about side effects (26.4%). Higher parental education, family income, and prior HPV knowledge were positively associated with both awareness and willingness to vaccinate children, whereas having multiple adolescents was associated with increased vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion. Parental awareness of HPV infection and vaccination was 75% and 67.2%, respectively, while vaccination rates among adolescents were very low. Higher parental education, income, and prior HPV knowledge were associated with favorable perceptions of vaccination. Addressing knowledge gaps and reducing perceived barriers through educational interventions may help increase HPV vaccination uptake among adolescents.