Attitude Towards HPV Vaccination Among Mothers of 11-14 Year-Old Children

OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the knowledge and attitude towards vaccination of parents regarding HPV and its vaccine, and to map the differences in their beliefs regarding sexual responsibility.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the autumn of 2023 at the Beszédes József Primary School in Siófok and online. Non-probability, purposive sampling method was used to examine parents raising 11-14-year-old children (N=250). We excluded those who with incomplete questionnaire submission (<70% of the questions). Data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire covering the following topics: socio-demographic data, knowledge on HPV, vaccination attitude, and sexual responsibility. The data were analysed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum) and mathematical statistics (χ² test, t-test), processed with Microsoft Excel 2019 software and considered significant at p<0.05.

RESULTS: Parents of boys showed significantly higher willingness to vaccinate compared to parents of girls (p≤0.05). We did not confirm that parents believe the vaccine protects girls' health (p≥0.05). Parents with both daughters and sons were more open to vaccinating their sons (p≤0.05), and higher education/knowledge levels made parents more open to choosing vaccination (p≤0.05). Parents who administered other optional vaccines to their children were more likely to also administer the HPV vaccine (p≤0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Mothers know less about HPV-related diseases affecting men compared to the consequences affecting women, making them less motivated to vaccinate. Having daughters in the family makes parents more open to vaccinating their sons as well.