Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep 19;12(9):1073.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines12091073.

Are HPV Vaccines Well Accepted among Parents of Adolescent Girls in China? Trends, Obstacles, and Practical Implications for Further Interventions: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study

Yu Huang  1 , Jie Ling  2 , Xiang Zhao  1 , Qiaohong Lv  1 , Lei Wang  1 , Qingqing Wu  1 , Shuiyang Xu  1 , Xuehai Zhang  1
Affiliations

Are HPV Vaccines Well Accepted among Parents of Adolescent Girls in China? Trends, Obstacles, and Practical Implications for Further Interventions: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study

Yu Huang et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: In 2020, the WHO proposed the global strategic goal of accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer (CC). One of the key strategies is that, by 2030, 90% of girls will complete HPV vaccination by age 15. In 2017, HPV vaccines were first marketed in China.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the changes in parents' knowledge about CC, HPV, HPV vaccines, and acceptance of HPV vaccination 5 years after the introduction of HPV vaccines into China. Associated factors and reasons for refusal by parents were also explored.

Methods: A school-based follow-up study was conducted among parents in China from May 2018 to May 2023. Comparison using Chi-square tests was performed to measure the changes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore factors associated with HPV vaccination among teenage girls.

Results: The overall cognitive level in terms of CC- and HPV-related knowledge among parents increased, and they expressed more willingness to vaccinate their daughter (35.4% in 2018 vs. 56.6% in 2023). The HPV vaccination rate among teenage girls remained at a low level (4.4% in 2018, 9.8% in 2023). The main obstacles reported by parents were limited knowledge (42.0%), scarcity of the HPV vaccine (29.2%), waiting until their daughter was older (27.5%), safety concerns (14.7%), high cost (9.0%), and effectiveness concerns (4.6%). Parents who are elderly, local residents, have received HPV vaccines themselves, have had experience of vaccinating their children with influenza vaccines, and have a higher knowledge level of CC, HPV and HPV vaccines are more likely to vaccinate their children with HPV vaccines.

Conclusions: Although we observed an increment in parents' knowledge level in terms of CC, HPV, HPV vaccines, and HPV vaccine uptake over the past 5 years, the HPV vaccine coverage among girls still falls short of the WHO's 2030 target. Comprehensive intervention strategies, including tailored health education among adolescents and their parents, doctor recommendations, and providing financial subsidies or free HPV vaccines are needed in China.

Keywords: Chinese adolescent girls; HPV awareness; HPV vaccine; acceptance; cervical cancer; follow-up study; parents.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 2
Figure 2
The main reasons why parents do not give their children HPV vaccination.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of sample inclusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Simelela P.N. WHO global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem: An opportunity to make it a disease of the past. Int. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2021;152:1–3. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13484. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R.L., Laversanne M., Soerjomataram I., Jemal A., Bray F. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2021;71:209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Maomao C., Wanqing C. GLOBOCAN 2020 Global cancer statistical data Read. Chin. Med. Front. J. (Electron. Ed.) 2021;13:63–69.
    1. Zhu B., Liu Y., Zuo T., Cui X., Li M., Zhang J., Piao H. The prevalence, trends, and geo-graphical distribution of human papillomavirus infection in China: The pooled analysis of 1.7 million women. Cancer Med. 2019;8:5373–5385. doi: 10.1002/cam4.2017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vaccine and Immunology Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association Expert consensus on immune prevention of cervical cancer and other papillomavirus related diseases. Chin. J. Prev. Med. 2019;53:761–803. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-9624.2019.08.001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources