Abstract

Background: HPV virus is responsible for 90% of invasive cervical cancers. The overall aim of this study was to identify the influences behind attitudes currently held by parents and the factors causing the decrease in uptake. 

Materials and methods: An anonymous questionnaire was designed and circulated to 158 individuals. Questionnaire included both quantitative and qualitative questions. Outcome measures were HPV knowledge, information sources and parental attitudes. 

Results: Response rate was 26%. A total of 68.3% of parents had good knowledge of the HPV virus/vaccine. A strong trend towards significance in this study suggested that participants with lower knowledge were more likely to consent. Concerns about the vaccine safety were the main barrier to vaccination. Increased knowledge would indicate that the parents were more likely to perform in-depth research and discover the well-publicised safety concerns. 

Conclusion: Further efforts must be made to counteract the negative media available to parents to ensure they are fully informed in their decision making. Further research on the parents’ knowledge of vaccine safety could be done to address this.

Keywords

human papilloma virus vaccine, HPV vaccine, vaccinations, vaccine hesitancy