Parental acceptance of Human Papillomavirus vaccines.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether parents would accept Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for their children and which variables may influence their decision, including knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV.

STUDY DESIGN: Three hundred and fifty-six parents of children aged 10-12 years were interviewed regarding the acceptance of an HPV vaccine for their children and their knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer. All data were recorded anonymously. Results were compared using the chi(2)- and the Mann-Whitney test.

RESULTS: HPV vaccination would be accepted by 88% of the parents, preferably when the child is aged 10-12 years. Parents of children who received all the vaccinations of the National Vaccination Programme accepted HPV vaccination significantly more. Less than a third of all parents had heard of HPV, and 14% were aware of the causal relationship of HPV and cervical cancer. Knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer, religion, age, education, and marital status did not show any significant relation with HPV vaccine acceptance.

CONCLUSIONS: A majority of the parents would accept HPV vaccination. HPV vaccine acceptance seems to be dependent on vaccine acceptance in general, even more than on knowledge of HPV and its causal relation with cervical cancer. However, parents requested more information about cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV vaccination, before the HPV vaccine is introduced.