Department of Disease control and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O BOX 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
Elevate Research and Health Services Limited, P.O BOX 3712, Kampala, Uganda.
BMC Pediatr. 2023 Jul 17;23(1):368. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04174-z.
Cervical cancer is a major public health challenge, accounting for substantial morbidity and mortality. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination is the recommended primary public health intervention for HPV infection prevention. However, there's limited evidence on the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of adolescent girls regarding HPV vaccination in Kampala city, Uganda. This study assessed the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of adolescent girls aged 10-14 years towards HPV vaccination program in Kampala, Uganda to generate evidence to guide programs targeted at improving uptake of the vaccine.
A convergent parallel mixed methods study was conducted in Kampala, Uganda. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from 524 adolescent girls. In addition, 6 Focus group discussions, and 24 key informant interviews (teacher and parents) were conducted. Multistage and purposive sampling techniques were used to select quantitative and qualitative participants respectively. Quantitative data were entered using epidata, cleaned and analyzed using Stata v14 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis in atlas ti version 8.
Overall, only 8.6% (45/524) of the girls had completed the HPV vaccine schedule of two dozes, 49.2% (258/524) of the girls had low knowledge about the HPV vaccine and teachers and parents affirmed this lack of knowledge among adolescent girls especially concerning the target age group, dosage, and vaccine interval. About 51.9% (272/524) of girls had negative perceptions towards HPV vaccination. Parents expressed negative perceptions, beliefs, superstitions, and safety concerns of the vaccine.Girls residing in rural areas (adjusted prevalence ratio, aPR = 0.35, C. I = 0.14-0.85) had lower knowledge levels compared to those in urban areas. Girls whose mothers were healthcare providers (aPR = 1.94, C. I = 1.10-3.41), girls with high knowledge levels (aPR = 1.79, C. I = 1.21-2.63) and positive perceptions (aPR = 2.87, C. I = 1.93-4.27) had a higher prevalence of being fully vaccinated.
Girls generally had low levels of knowledge, negative perceptions, and poor uptake of HPV vaccination. We recommend sensitization campaigns in schools and communities to improve awareness, perceptions, and practices of stakeholders towards HPV vaccination.
宫颈癌是一个重大的公共卫生挑战，造成了大量的发病率和死亡率。人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）疫苗接种是预防 HPV 感染的推荐的主要公共卫生干预措施。然而，乌干达坎帕拉市青少年女孩对 HPV 疫苗接种的知识、态度和实践水平的证据有限。本研究评估了乌干达坎帕拉市 10-14 岁青少年女孩对 HPV 疫苗接种计划的知识、看法和做法，以提供证据，指导旨在提高疫苗接种率的项目。
在乌干达坎帕拉市进行了一项汇集平行混合方法研究。使用结构化问卷从 524 名少女中收集数据。此外，还进行了 6 次焦点小组讨论和 24 次关键知情人访谈（教师和家长）。采用多阶段和目的抽样技术分别选择定量和定性参与者。使用 epidata 输入定量数据，使用 stata v14 清理和分析数据，使用 atlas ti 版本 8 进行主题内容分析。
总的来说，只有 8.6%（45/524）的女孩完成了两剂 HPV 疫苗接种计划，49.2%（258/524）的女孩对 HPV 疫苗的知识水平较低，教师和家长也证实了青少年女孩，特别是针对目标年龄组、剂量和疫苗间隔方面的知识缺乏。约 51.9%（272/524）的女孩对 HPV 疫苗接种持负面看法。家长对 HPV 疫苗表达了负面看法、信仰、迷信和安全担忧。与城市地区相比，居住在农村地区的女孩（调整后的流行率比，aPR=0.35，CI=0.14-0.85）知识水平较低。母亲是医疗保健提供者的女孩（aPR=1.94，CI=1.10-3.41）、知识水平高的女孩（aPR=1.79，CI=1.21-2.63）和持积极看法的女孩（aPR=2.87，CI=1.93-4.27）接种疫苗的比例更高。
女孩普遍对 HPV 疫苗接种的知识水平较低，看法消极，接种率也较低。我们建议在学校和社区开展宣传运动，以提高利益攸关方对 HPV 疫苗接种的认识、看法和实践。
