Sign in Subscribe
Vaccines

Human Papillomavirus Vaccines Study Reveals Key Takeaways on Parental Acceptance and Predictors of HPV Vaccine Uptake

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer amongst women in Nigeria, with an incidence rate of 26.2 per 100,000 and mortality rate of 14.3 per 1000 adult women. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to the uptake of the HPV vaccine. A recent study identified the pattern and predictors of parental acceptance of HPV vaccines for their female adolescents in Abia State, Nigeria prior to state-level introduction.

Key Takeaways:

  • The prevalence of parental HPV vaccine acceptance was 63.0% (95% CI: 59.8 - 66.0) among 1,016 respondents.
  • The major sources of information on the HPV vaccine were healthcare workers (43.0%) and social media (37.8%).
  • The most preferable source of HPV vaccine recommendation mentioned by the respondents were healthcare workers (92.7%).
  • Female (aOR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.02 - 2.03), good knowledge of HPV infection (aOR=2.87, 95% CI: 1.82 - 4.53), and good knowledge of HPV vaccine (aOR=18.52, 95% CI: 10.52 - 32.61) were the predictors of HPV vaccine acceptance.
  • Prior to the introduction of HPV vaccine into the routine immunization of Abia State, Nigeria, most parents surveyed indicated that they would accept HPV vaccine for their female adolescents.
  • Lack of information (63.9%) and fear of adverse effects (32.9%) were the triggers for non-acceptance of the vaccine.

Statistics:

  • The incidence rate of cervical cancer in Nigeria is 26.2 per 100,000 annually.
  • The mortality rate of cervical cancer in adult women in Nigeria is 14.3 per 1000.
  • 63.0% of parents surveyed would accept HPV vaccine for their female adolescents.
  • 43.0% of parents surveyed rely on healthcare workers as a major source of information on the HPV vaccine.
  • 37.8% of parents surveyed rely on social media as a major source of information on the HPV vaccine.

Sources:

  • The Pan African Medical Journal, 2025;51:44.
  • NewsRx LLC. New Human Papillomavirus Vaccines Study Results Reported from Amos Paul Bassi et al (Parental acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccine for female adolescents in Abia State, southeastern Nigeria: a pre-implementation study). Vaccine Weekly. September 17, 2025; p 86.

Read more