Knowledge about the HPV vaccine and factors associated with acceptance in girls of 9 to 12 years old

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the degree of knowledge about the vaccine against HPV and associated factors that determine its acceptance in mothers of women from 9 to 12 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational, prospective, cross-sectional, analytical study from November 2017 to October 2018 to mothers of girls aged 9 to 12 who attended the Family Medicine Unit 15 IMSS in Mexico City. The selection was made by non-probabilistic sampling for convenience to mothers or guardians whose daughters had not received the HPV vaccine. A questionnaire was applied to know the degree of knowledge about the vaccine against HPV and associated socioeconomic factors. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were estimated. Student's t test for comparison of means and hypothesis test with χ2 of Mantel-Haenszel. Prevalence ratio (PR), with 95% confidence intervals, and multivariate analysis was performed through a non-conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 407 mothers were interviewed, obtaining 32.92% with a high level of knowledge about the HPV vaccine. The 39.3% were referred by the family doctor for its application. Those with less knowledge about the vaccine had less schooling. A higher percentage of what was reported in previous studies was obtained in terms of women with low knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge of mothers about the HPV vaccine is associated with the level of schooling, type of religion and marital status. A low level of knowledge about the vaccine increases the possibility of cervical cytology being considered unnecessary. Information campaigns that consider the sociocultural characteristics of the population are required to guarantee a greater impact.