The Attitudes of Parents Working in the Health Sector About Their Children to be Vaccinated for Human Papilloma Virus

Abstract

Introduction: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common viral infection of the urogenital system in men and women. Despite the high protection rate of HPV vaccine, vaccination rates in our country remain below the optimal level. The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes of parents working in the health sector towards having their children vaccinated against HPV. Materials and Methods: The universe of the research was formed by all employees of İstanbul Koşuyolu High Specialization Training and Research Hospital. The questionnaire consisting of 21 questions was applied to a total of 151 people by face to face method. Results: One hundred and fifty one employees working in Koşuyolu High Specialization Training and Research Hospital were included in the study. Of the employees, 68.9% of whom were women, 18 (11.9%) stated that they had HPV vaccine. Only two employees responded positively to the question of whether their children had HPV vaccine; 27 of them (17.9%) were found to be thinking of having their children vaccinated against HPV in the future. When employees were asked why they did not want ttheir children to be vaccinated against HPV, most (33.8%) stated that the vaccine was expensive, while 17.2% thought that the vaccine was not protective. Conclusion: Diseases caused by HPV, especially cervical cancer, can be prevented by vaccination. It is thought that this disease can be prevented by vaccination as well as sexual health education and the use of condoms. However, there may be a negative attitude towards vaccination among healthcare professionals. In terms of public health, it is thought that increasing education on this issue will positively affect both employees and the public.

Keywords

• human papilloma virus
• vaccination
• healthcare workers