Human Papillomavirus

Low national immunization coverage (44.64%) requires strengthening the vaccination campaign to improve knowledge about HPV and its vaccine among adolescents and parents/guardians. Our aim is to evaluate factors related to knowledge about HPV, its vaccine, acceptability and divergences among Brazilia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2020-11, Vol.15 (11), p.e0241674
Main Authors: Gomes, Jéssica Menezes, Silva, Beatriz Machado, Santos, Edige Felipe de Sousa, Kelly, Patricia Jane, Costa, Annielson de Souza, Takiuti, Albertina Duarte, de Abreu, Luiz Carlos, Soares Júnior, José Maria, Baracat, Edmund Chada, Sorpreso, Isabel Cristina Esposito
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Health aspects
Papillomavirus infections
Papillomavirus vaccines
Parents
Prevention
Public opinion
Youth
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Summary:Low national immunization coverage (44.64%) requires strengthening the vaccination campaign to improve knowledge about HPV and its vaccine among adolescents and parents/guardians. Our aim is to evaluate factors related to knowledge about HPV, its vaccine, acceptability and divergences among Brazilian adolescents and parents/guardians. A cross-sectional study was performed at a health unit of Sao Paulo University, Brazil, from 2015 to 2016. The convenience sample comprised 1047 individuals, including 74% (n = 776) adolescents and 26% (n = 271) parents/guardians, who answered a survey (knowledge about HPV, its vaccine, barriers and acceptability). The main source of information for adolescents was school (39%, n = 298); for parents/guardians, it was health professionals (55%, n = 153). Parents/guardians were 2.48 times more likely than adolescents to know that HPV caused changes in the Pap smear test [RR 2.48, 95% CI 2.03-3.01 (p < 0.001)], 1.43 times likely to be aware that HPV was a sexually transmitted infection [RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.22-1.68 (p < 0.001)], and 2.77 times likely to be informed that the HPV vaccine decreased the chance of having genital warts [RR 2.77, 95% CI 2.22-2.47 (p < 0.001)]. Girls knew more about the topic than boys (RR 1.67; 95% CI 1.10-2.60); education increased parents' knowledge [(RR 3.38; 95% CI 1.71-6.69)]. Female adolescents and parents/guardians with a higher level of education are factors related to suitable knowledge about HPV and its vaccine among Brazilian respondents. There were differences between parents/guardians and adolescents in HPV awareness, clinical implications, vaccine knowledge and vaccine acceptance.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0241674