PURPOSE: To assess attitude and knowledge among parents or guardians of 12-year-old girls about human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination. Material and Methods: A mail survey was sent to a randomized sample of 1,000 parents or guardians of 12-year-old girls from a cohort of total 2,092 girls born in 1995 and registered in the Icelandic National Register by the end of December 2007. RESULTS: Of the 994 eligible parents, 583 (59%) returned the questionnaire. Majority of the respondents were mothers who had two or three children. More than one-third of respondents had university education and 84% were married or living with a partner. Over two-thirds did not know that HPV causes cervical cancer and genital warts. Almost all (> 90%) would vaccinate theirs daughters with a HPV vaccine, 73% said they would vaccinate their sons, or themselves if the vaccine was effective for them. Only 11% believed HPV vaccination would increase promiscuity or decrease cervical screening attendance. CONCLUSION: In Iceland, willingness to vaccinate young girls with HPV vaccine is high, however, knowledge about HPV infections is limited.
PURPOSE: To assess attitude and knowledge among parents or guardians of 12-year-old girls about human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination. Material and Methods: A mail survey was sent to a randomized sample of 1,000 parents or guardians of 12-year-old girls from a cohort of total 2,092 girls born in 1995 and registered in the Icelandic National Register by the end of December 2007. RESULTS: Of the 994 eligible parents, 583 (59%) returned the questionnaire. Majority of the respondents were mothers who had two or three children. More than one-third of respondents had university education and 84% were married or living with a partner. Over two-thirds did not know that HPV causes cervical cancer and genital warts. Almost all (> 90%) would vaccinate theirs daughters with a HPV vaccine, 73% said they would vaccinate their sons, or themselves if the vaccine was effective for them. Only 11% believed HPV vaccination would increase promiscuity or decrease cervical screening attendance. CONCLUSION: In Iceland, willingness to vaccinate young girls with HPV vaccine is high, however, knowledge about HPV infections is limited.
Authors: Noelia López; Maria Garcés-Sánchez; Maria Belén Panizo; Ignacio Salamanca de la Cueva; Maria Teresa Artés; Beatriz Ramos; Manuel Cotarelo Journal: Public Health Rev Date: 2020-05-14