HPV Vaccination in Young Males: A Glimpse of Coverage, Parental Attitude and Need of Additional Information from Lombardy Region, Italy

Abstract

Background: In the Lombardy Region, Italy, HPV vaccination is recommended and offered free of charge to 12-years-old males since 2017. The expected vaccination thresholds are still far to be reached. Methods: A cross-sectional survey to investigate parents’ attitudes towards the HPV vaccine and knowledge about HPV was administered to parents of boys aged 6 to 18 years attending a large pediatric hospital for outpatient specialistic evaluations. Two parallel multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for attitude towards HPV vaccination and perceived need for more information about HPV vaccination. Results: A positive attitude towards HPV vaccination was found in 74% of interviewed parents. Knowledge of HPV, having a generally positive attitude toward vaccination, and mothers filling in the survey were positively associated with a positive attitude to the HPV vaccine. Parents’ perceived need for more information about HPV vaccination was positively associated with the child’s age, general positive attitude toward vaccination, Christian religion, and positive attitude toward HPV vaccination; knowing that HPV vaccination is free of charge significantly reduced the risk of asking for more information on HPV vaccination. Conclusions: The majority of parents of male children and adolescents in our study have a positive attitude toward HPV vaccination. Attitude toward HPV vaccination and perceived need for more information on HPV vaccination were directly related to a positive attitude toward vaccines in general. In addition, knowledge of HPV and related pathologies favors a positive attitude toward HPV vaccination. Future health programs should target an even wider diffusion of evidence-based information on vaccines in general and on the HPV vaccine in young males, to support a positive attitude toward vaccines in the general population.

Vaccine Hesitancy among European Parents—Psychological and Social Factors Influencing the Decision to Vaccinate against HPV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…A systematic search was performed in four databases on 13 September 2023, resulting in 9322 articles; after removing the duplicates, 4206 publications were screened by title and abstract. In total, 133 were assessed for full-text, and 25 [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ] were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis of parents’ gender (comparing fathers and mothers), with 18,890 responders, of whom 13,983 had vaccinated (or an intent to vaccinate their) children [ 17 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The results revealed an OR of 0.75, with a 95% CI between 0.54 and 1.04, at a Z of 1.71 and a p = 0.09; Random Effects (RE) were used for an I 2 of 89% (See Figure 3 ).…”

“…Fourteen studies were included in the parent’s level of education comparison (ISCED 0–4 vs. 5–8), with 284,944 guardians and 232,063 vaccinated children [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. The results showed an OR of 0.93, with a 95% CI between 0.79 and 1.09, at a Z of 0.94 and a p = 0.35, with no statistical significance; Random Effects (RE) were used for an I 2 of 93% (see Figure 4 ).…”

“…Seven studies [ 17 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 29 , 34 ] were included in this meta-analysis, totaling 173,643 responders, of which 145,458 were vaccinated. Odds Ratio (OR) of 0.61, as well as CIs = 0.38 and 0.98, demonstrated statistical significance at a Z value of 2.05 with a p -value = 0.04.…”

“…Knowing that the HPV vaccine prevents CC, knowledge related to HPV infection and a positive attitude towards vaccination could influence a parent’s intention to vaccinate their children [ 21 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 37 , 38 ]. In contrast, a lack of or insufficient knowledge about HPV (or the HPV vaccine) could discourage parents from vaccinating their children; other detrimental factors identified were valuing personal knowledge more than experts’ opinions and having a positive attitude toward social media stories or Internet-based information about the vaccine [ 22 , 25 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 39 ].…”