Attitudes towards and knowledge about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccination in parents of teenage boys in the UK

Abstract

The incidence of cancers attributable to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that affect males is on the rise. Currently in the UK teenage boys are not vaccinated against HPV while teenage girls are. The rationale for not vaccinating boys is that vaccinating girls should provide herd immunity to boys, however this does not protect men who have sex with men or men who have sex with unvaccinated women. The issue of whether to vaccinate boys or not is a controversial one with considerable lobbying taking place to change the existing policy. On one side of the debate are financial considerations while on the other side health equality is important. One avenue that has not been presented is the parental perspective. The current study uses a self-report questionnaire to explore what parents of teenage boys know about HPV and the vaccine and whether they want the vaccine for their sons. Only half of the parents had heard of HPV prior to completing the survey. Of those who had heard of HPV, knowledge about the health sequelae of HPV for men was poor relative to their knowledge about its impact on female health. Parents who would be willing to vaccinate their sons had higher levels of knowledge about HPV than those parents who would be unwilling or unsure. Irrespective of whether they had previously heard of HPV or not, once provided with a brief description of HPV, the majority of parents thought that boys should be offered the vaccination. There is a pressing need for public education about the potential impact of HPV on male health in order to facilitate uptake of the vaccine in the event of the vaccination programme being extended to men or to facilitate informed decision making about seeking the vaccine privately in the event that it isn’t.

HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents in Italy: a cross-sectional study

“…The important role of the level of knowledge has been already reported. 29,38 In addition, it was found that parents who needed information were more likely to be hesitant. These results support the existing literature, regarding a relationship between needing more information and being hesitant.…”

Analysis of community-based studies related with knowledge, awareness, attitude, and behaviors towards HPV and HPV vaccine published in Turkey: A systematic review

“…It is considered that conducting common, systematic, and continuous health education programs aimed at both sexes and including both parents, which would increase knowledge and awareness on HPV and the HPV vaccine, and provide positive attitudes, will be effective in protecting people against HPV-related cancers (17,31,33,34,36,38). In addition, it will be an important initiative for the protection of public health that healthcare authorities include HPV vaccines in their immunization programs and that policies encourage acceptance of the vaccine in society in countries where the HPV vaccine is not included in national vaccination schedules.…”

“…In information and awareness studies on HPV and the HPV vaccine that were conducted in developed countries, it was reported that HPV knowledge and awareness were at low-tomoderate levels, and vaccination rates (26%-55%) were not at desired levels, although the willingness for vaccination was high (17,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). In studies conducted in developing countries, it was reported that HPV knowledge and awareness and willingness for vaccination were at low-to-moderate levels, and HPV vaccination rates were quite low (13.3%-16.1%) (35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41).…”

Parental knowledge gaps and barriers for children receiving human papillomavirus vaccine in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas

“…11 In addition to parents, healthcare providers play a crucial role in ensuring its administration. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] It is important for healthcare providers to bundle HPV vaccines with other required vaccines, such as tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) and meningococcal vaccine (MCV4, MenB). 29,30 They are encouraged to consistently and equally recommend HPV vaccination to parents of female and male children.…”

“…20 Interventions that improve parental knowledge and awareness prior to the administration of the HPV vaccine have increased uptake immediately following the encounter. 24,36,37 The sex of the parent may also affect the choice to vaccinate. Male parents are less likely to vaccinate their daughters.…”