[Human papillomaviruses vaccination: Vaccine intentions of parents of children aged 10 to 11s in Normandy schools after an information campaign during the 2015-2016 school year].

BACKGROUND

In 2015, the vaccine against human Papillomavirus (hPV) was recommended in France for children from 11 to 14 years-old. This study assessed the knowledge of parents from Normandy about this vaccine and measured the impact of an information campaign on their intent to have their children vaccinated.

METHODS

Parents from Normandy with children in sixth-grade class, aged 10 to 11, during the 2015-2016 school year were included. The secondary schools were selected in collaboration with academic institutions. The intent to have their child vaccinated was measured with a questionnaire distributed to children in April 2016 and collected from May to June 2016 by school nurses.

RESULTS

Among the 16 selected secondary schools, 1428 questionnaires were distributed and 864 (60.5 %) were collected regardless of the gender of the child. Among the 439 girls, 85.9 % were not vaccinated against hPV. The intent to vaccinate was higher when the parent who responded was the mother (P<0.001). Among the parents who took note of the information booklet, 73.7 % found this information useful. There was a significant association between the knowledge about the vaccine against hPV and the intent to vaccinate (P<0.001). The percentage of vaccinated girls was significantly higher when their parents were informed (10.9 % versus 3.2 %). We noticed a significant rise of the intent to vaccinate children when information booklets were distributed (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The vaccination rate after specific information about vaccination against hPV was significantly higher. The information campaign has thus a significant positive impact.