Josephat Jojet N, Halama Russel B, Makiriye Harieth F, Farah Amina, Haule Irene, Kirumbuyo Margaret, Amour Caroline, Msuya Sia E
Institute of Public Health, Department of Community and Global Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania.
Institute of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania.
East Afr Health Res J. 2024;8(2):264-270. doi: 10.24248/eahrj.v8i2.789. Epub 2024 Jun 26.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination is a key primary prevention method against cervical cancer which is given to young girls before onset of sexual activity. In Tanzania, cervical cancer is the most frequent occurring cancer among women and is the leading cause of cancer mortality. The HPV Vaccination programme was rolled-out in Tanzania in 2018 for adolescent girls aged 9-14 years to receive two doses at a six-months interval, with an annual vaccine uptake of 46.1%. In 2019, the uptake of the HPV vaccine was only 64%, whereas the national coverage target is 75%. This study aimed at assessing the determinants of HPV vaccination among adolescent girls in Hai district, Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2020 to August 2020 among 14-year-old adolescent girls in four selected secondary schools, including two government-owned and two private-owned, within Hai district. Close-ended questionnaire interviews were conducted with the adolescent girls in the study and data analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). Odds ratio was used to assess the association between several factors and HPV vaccination.
A total of 301 adolescent girls aged 14 years consented to the study. HPV vaccination uptake was 65%. More than three-fifths (n=119, 60.7%) reported having received the two required doses. Knowledge of HPV (OR 5.68; 95% CI, 0.72 to 44.96; ) and HPV vaccine (OR 20.11; 95% CI, 10.88 to 37.99); ) contributed significantly to HPV vaccine uptake among the adolescent girls in the study. More than one-third (n=105, 34.9%,) of the participants, were not vaccinated, the main reasons adduced for not being vaccinated include lack of proper information about the HPV vaccine (60.0%), fear of side effects (14%) and parental refusal (11%).
HPV vaccination uptake was 65%. Lack of proper information to both the children and parents about the safety of the vaccine hinders its uptake. More effort should be made for clear and comprehensible dissemination of information especially to the community stakeholders mainly parents, community and religious leaders, about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine in order to considerably increase vaccination coverage among adolescent girls. Likewise, involvement of healthcare workers and policymakers in educating people about cervical cancer prevention measures can ensure successful implementation of HPV vaccination. There is need to conduct an indepth qualitative study to explore further people's perceptions and attitudes towards HPV.
人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）疫苗接种是预防宫颈癌的关键一级预防方法，在年轻女孩开始性活动之前进行接种。在坦桑尼亚，宫颈癌是女性中最常见的癌症，也是癌症死亡的主要原因。2018年，坦桑尼亚启动了HPV疫苗接种计划，为9至14岁的青春期女孩每六个月接种两剂疫苗，年疫苗接种率为46.1%。2019年，HPV疫苗的接种率仅为64%，而国家覆盖目标是75%。本研究旨在评估坦桑尼亚北部乞力马扎罗地区海伊区青春期女孩HPV疫苗接种的决定因素。
2020年7月至2020年8月，在海伊区四所选定的中学（包括两所公立和两所私立中学）对14岁的青春期女孩进行了一项横断面研究。对研究中的青春期女孩进行了封闭式问卷调查，并使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 20.0版（美国纽约州阿蒙克市IBM公司）进行数据分析。比值比用于评估几个因素与HPV疫苗接种之间的关联。
共有301名14岁的青春期女孩同意参与该研究。HPV疫苗接种率为65%。超过五分之三（n = 119，60.7%）的女孩报告已接种所需的两剂疫苗。对HPV的了解（比值比5.68；95%置信区间，0.72至44.96；）和对HPV疫苗的了解（比值比20.11；95%置信区间，10.88至37.99）；）对研究中的青春期女孩HPV疫苗接种有显著贡献。超过三分之一（n = 105，34.9%）的参与者未接种疫苗，未接种疫苗的主要原因包括缺乏关于HPV疫苗的适当信息（60.0%）、害怕副作用（14%）和家长拒绝（11%）。
HPV疫苗接种率为65%。儿童和家长缺乏关于疫苗安全性的适当信息阻碍了疫苗的接种。应做出更多努力，以清晰易懂的方式传播信息，特别是向社区利益相关者，主要是家长、社区和宗教领袖，传播关于宫颈癌和HPV疫苗的信息，以便大幅提高青春期女孩的疫苗接种覆盖率。同样，医护人员和政策制定者参与对人们进行宫颈癌预防措施教育，可以确保HPV疫苗接种的成功实施。有必要进行深入的定性研究，以进一步探索人们对HPV的看法和态度。
