Parents’ Knowledge, Risk Perception and Willingness to Allow Young Males to Receive Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines in Uganda
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Date
2014-09-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cross Mark
Abstract
Abstract
The Ministry of Health in Uganda in collaboration with the Program for Appropriate Technology for Health (PATH)
supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2008–2009 vaccinated approximately 10,000 girls with the bivalent
humanpapilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. We assessed parent’s knowledge, risk perception and willingness to allow son(s) to
receive HPV vaccines in future through a cross-sectional survey of secondary school boys aged 10–23 years in 4 districts. 377
questionnaires were distributed per district and 870 were used in analysis. Parents that had ever heard about cervical cancer
and HPV vaccines; those who would allow daughter(s) to be given the vaccine and those who thought that HPV infection
was associated with genital warts were more willing to allow son(s) to receive the HPV vaccine. Unwilling parents
considered HPV vaccination of boys unimportant (p = 0.003), believed that only females should receive the vaccine
(p = 0.006), thought their son(s) couldn’t contract HPV (p = 0.010), didn’t know about HPV sexual transmissibility (p = 0.002),
knew that males could not acquire HPV (p = 0.000) and never believed that the HPV vaccines could protect against HPV
(p = 0.000). Acceptance of HPV vaccination of daughters and likelihood of recommending HPV vaccines to son(s) of friends
and relatives predicted parental willingness to allow sons to receive HPV vaccines. Probable HPV vaccination of boys is a
viable complement to that of girls. Successfulness of HPV vaccination relies on parental acceptability and sustained
sensitization about usefulness of HPV vaccines even for boys is vital.
Description
Keywords
Parents’ Knowledge,, Young Males, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines
Citation
Muhwezi WW, Banura C, Turiho AK, Mirembe F (2014) Parents’ Knowledge, Risk Perception and Willingness to Allow Young Males to Receive Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines in Uganda. PLoS ONE 9(9): e106686. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106686