Acceptability of human papillomavirus vaccination among Chinese women: concerns and implications

Abstract

Objective To explore Chinese women's perceptions of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and their intention to be vaccinated.Design A cross-sectional community-based survey study.Setting Thirteen community women's health centres of The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong.Sample A total of 1450 ethnic Chinese women aged 18 or above who attended the health centres.Methods Participants completed a written consent and an anonymous questionnaire onsite.Main outcome measures Knowledge and beliefs about HPV and HPV vaccination against cervical cancer and participants' own intention to be vaccinated.Results About 38% of the participants (n = 527) had heard of HPV and 50% (n = 697) had heard of vaccination against cervical cancer. HPV infection was perceived to be stigmatising and detrimental to intimate, family and social relationships. Despite misconceptions and a grossly inadequate knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination, 88% of the participants (n = 1219) indicated that they would likely be vaccinated. Majority of the participants believed that sexually experienced women should be vaccinated, while 27% opposed vaccinating sexually naive women. Younger age women who perceived a disruptive impact of HPV infection on intimate relationship and their partners' approval were significantly associated with a positive intention to be HPV vaccinated.Conclusions The easy acceptability of HPV vaccination among the mostly sexually experienced Chinese participants and their knowledge deficit on the subject may implicate potential misuse of the vaccines and a false sense of security against cervical cancer. There is a dire need for culturally sensitive and tailored education for the public, women of different ages and their partners about HPV and HPV vaccination. Emphasis must be placed on the prophylactic nature of the current vaccines, the uncertain effects when given to sexually experienced women, the importance of adolescent vaccination and the need for continued cervical screening whether vaccinated or not.

Knowledge, Perceptions and Acceptability of HPV Vaccination among Medical Students in Chongqing, China

“…The acceptability of HPV vaccination was relatively low among the medical undergraduates surveyed in this study. It was higher than among parents of young adolescents (<40.0%) (Chan et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2013) , but relatively lower than among surveyed Chinese women (>80.0%) (Kwan et al, 2009;Li et al, 2009). The vast majority of students consented to HPV vaccination after 13 years and 38.0% of males and 50.7% of females suggested an age over 19 years.…”

“…Existing studies have shown that knowledge about HPV may strongly influence vaccination acceptance (Gerend et al, 2007;Gottvall et al, 2009). In China, there have been some studies examining this topic, both in Hong Kong Kwan et al, 2008;Kwan et al, 2009) and in mainland China Zhang et al, 2013). The study populations assessed in these studies have included women, adolescent girls, parents, government officials, and medical personnel.…”

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Acceptability among Female University Students in South Africa

“…This finding is in contrast with other studies where vaccination acceptance was significantly associated with higher number of sexual partners, (Hoover et al 2000). Other studies concluded that partner's approval, history of gynaecological disease, and one's mother having experienced cancer, increased acceptance of HPV vaccination (Marlow et al, 2007;Hsu et al, 2009;Kwan et al, 2009).…”

Knowledge about HPV, and the Attitudes Toward HPV Vaccination among Adult Women in Asian Countries: A Literature Review

“…1,2,14,16,23,24) Since most of the research participants showed a lack of knowledge in HPV, they also displayed poor knowledge about HPV vaccination and its preventable effects on cervical cancer. 8,14,16,18,[23][24][25] Across six studies, only 6-48% of women knew that HPV can cause cervical cancer 8,14,20,23,25,26) and approximately 19-31.5% of participants were aware of the sexually transmitted nature of HPV infection and its connection to cervical cancer. 8,16,25) Levels and measure of HPV and HPV vaccine varied greatly across the studies.…”

“…However, this could be different in Asian countries since cultural belief, family and social norm toward STDs and its prevention are different. [14][15][16] The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of findings from studies of attitudes and knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination, and actual uptake studies that have been performed in Asian countries.…”