Syrian mothers, why to accept or to refuse HPV vaccine for their teen girls

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) ranks the eighth most frequent cancer among Syrian women with crude incidence rates 1.4 per 100, 000 populations per year. This study aimed to test the acceptance of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among mothers of schoolgirls in sixth grade class. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted through structured and self-administrated questionnaire. A total of 400 Syrian mothers of schoolgirls were selected randomly by cluster sampling method in Aleppo city, Syria in 2011. Significant variables from univariate analysis were included in an enter technique multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Response rate was 86%. If the vaccine was free, 282 (81.7%) mothers will accept the vaccine for themselves and 236 (68.4%) for their daughters respectively, however the acceptance rate grossly decreased to 24.6% and 15.1% respectively if the vaccine was not provided free. The high cost of the HPV vaccine and lack of knowledge were the major barriers for mothers’ acceptance of the HPV vaccine. Protection of daughters and the trust with health authority were the main encouraging reasons to accept the HPV vaccine. Findings from logistic regression analysis revealed that the employed mothers (odds ratio = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.3–4.4), with positive history of gynecological examination (OR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.6–2.9) and having good knowledge (OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.0–5.7) are independent factors related to the acceptance of the HPV vaccine for their daughters. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that mothers from different cultural backgrounds including Syrian mothers are holding different beliefs on privacy and health that may affect their willingness to accept the HPV vaccine.

Keywords

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Cervical Cancer, Vaccine, Aleppo, Syria