OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide, with HPV and HPV-related diseases representing a substantial disease burden. The introduction of HPV vaccination has resulted in a reduction of HPV infections and HPV-related diseases, however, there is growing evidence of delayed or refused vaccination due to a lack of trust in vaccines. Understanding the factors that impact vaccine uptake will allow the development and implementation of successful HPV vaccination programmes. We therefore reviewed the literature to compare and contrast the acceptability of HPV vaccination among adolescents and parents in the United Kingdom (UK).

METHODS: A structured literature review was conducted across Embase, Medline, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature sources to identify publications pertaining to ‘adolescents’, ‘parents’, ‘vaccine uptake’, ‘vaccine hesitancy’, and ‘barriers or facilitators to vaccination’. Searches were limited to English language and articles published specific to the UK between 2017 and 2022.

RESULTS:

Following a review of 169 abstracts, 23 publications met the inclusion criteria. HPV vaccination uptake among adolescents was typically high (≥80% among adolescent girls), indicating that vaccination is acceptable to most eligible adolescents and their parents. However, several important barriers were identified that may impact vaccination uptake, including logistical (challenges with obtaining consent), behavioural (perception of HPV), and sociodemographic factors, with similar factors reported among adolescents and parents.

CONCLUSIONS: Although HPV vaccination coverage is typically high among adolescent girls in the UK, common barriers among adolescents and parents have been identified that must be addressed to further improve coverage rates. There is currently a lack of evidence among adolescent boys to evaluate whether there are any differences in vaccination coverage or barriers compared to girls. More research is required into facilitators to vaccination, to identify approaches to tackle the barriers that currently impede HPV vaccination uptake.