Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(1):29-38 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4287

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine - Knowledge and Attitudes among Parents of Children Aged 10-14 Years: a Cross-sectional Study, Tîrgu Mureº, Romania

Septimiu Voidãzan1, Monica Tarcea2, Silviu-Horia Morariu3, Adelina Grigore4, Minodora Dobreanu5
1 Department of Epidemiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureº, Romania
2 Department of Community Nutrition, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureº, Romania
3 Department of Dermatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureº, Romania
4 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureº, Romania
5 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureº, Romania

Aim: Romania ranks first in Europe in terms of mortality from cervical cancer, recording 6.3 times more deaths than the mean in EU countries. Although vaccination campaigns were launched by health officials in Romania, the acceptance rate remained insignificant and programmes were discontinued. A successful vaccination programme requires a high rate of acceptance and accurate information for health professionals and parents. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of parental knowledge about human papilomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV vaccination including the information obtained from general practitioners and identification of barriers in implementing a vaccination strategy.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire for the parents of pupils in grades 5-8, in three randomly selected secondary schools in Tîrgu Mureº, Romania.

Results: We surveyed 918 parents. Of the respondents, 85.8% have heard of HPV infection. Most reported an average level of knowledge about HPV infection and HPV vaccination. The two main sources of information were specialized healthcare professionals (42.8% for HPV infection, 39.1% for HPV vaccination) and the Internet browsing (42.3% and 42.9%, respectively). Based on current knowledge, only one third of parents would have their child vaccinated against HPV infection. According to most parents surveyed, the main reasons for not wanting to have their child vaccinated is the fear of side effects; the vaccine is new and insufficiently studied; or parents do not know details about the vaccine.

Conclusions: The parents showed the average level of knowledge about HPV infection and HPV vaccination. The implementation of an effective programme to increase the acceptance rate of HPV vaccination requires educational strategies aimed at involving parents and their children and supported by general practitioners and public health professionals.

Keywords: HPV infection, cervical cancer, HPV vaccination, questionnaire, parents

Received: January 30, 2015; Revised: June 11, 2015; Accepted: June 11, 2015; Published: March 1, 2016  Show citation

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Voidãzan S, Tarcea M, Morariu S, Grigore A, Dobreanu M. Human Papillomavirus Vaccine - Knowledge and Attitudes among Parents of Children Aged 10-14 Years: a Cross-sectional Study, Tîrgu Mureº, Romania. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2016;24(1):29-38. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a4287. PubMed PMID: 27070967.
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