HPV vaccination and parental health literacy – the winding path leading to vaccination

Abstract

Introduction: The acceptance and usage of recommended vaccines is influenced by many factors, but so far there was no clear understanding of the considerations parents base their decision on regarding HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccination. The level of health literacy is a key factor in maintain ing health and well-being, thus it plays an increasing role in developing international policy frameworks. Parental health literacy not only influences the health of children, but also affects the preventive attitude of the next adult generation.

Methods: Our study aimed to describe the relationship between parental health literacy, HPV related knowledge and the decision whether to inoculate children with state provided HPV vaccine. In a nationally representative research, we surveyed 430 parents (supplemented HLS-EU-Q16.

Results: The overall health literacy was adequate among 76% of parents and 87% of them was aware of the existence of HPV vaccines. However, their knowledge of HPV was less accurate. The decision to inoculate their children was inversely proportional to the level of education. According to the path analysis used to model the decision process, health literacy does not have a direct impact on vaccine uptake, while knowledge about the HPV disease and vaccination as well as general vaccination attitude do.

Conclusions: Based on our research, a higher level of knowledge achieved in the target group in these key areas can increase the proportion of HPV vaccination in the Hungarian population. Efficient knowledge transfer requires targeted, differentiated content, language and communication channels for different health literacy segments.