Factors influencing the willingness of US women to vaccinate their daughters against the human papillomavirus to prevent cervical cancer

Jennifer Y. Lai, Anna V. Tinker, Winson Y. Cheung

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine helps to prevent cervical cancer. However, research indicates that public acceptance of the vaccine is suboptimal. Our aims were to evaluate the willingness of US women to use the HPV vaccine in their daughters, examine their current understanding of HPV, and determine the impact of HPV knowledge and other socio-demographic factors on their willingness to get their daughters vaccinated. Women aged ≥ 18 years were identified from the US Health Information National Trends Survey. We developed a 6-point composite scoring system based on individual responses to HPV-related questions to characterize personal understanding about HPV. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore the influence of the women's HPV knowledge level and additional socio-demographic factors on the willingness to use HPV in their daughters. There were 804 female respondents: mean age was 44.9 (SD = 2.53) years and 73 % were White. In total, 75 % of women indicated they would vaccinate their daughters against HPV. Mean knowledge score was 4.6 (SD = 0.80). While White race was associated with higher willingness to use the vaccine in their daughters (OR = 1.86, p = 0.04), HPV knowledge level was not (OR = 0.47, p = 0.22). Among US women, HPV knowledge level was high, but it was not associated with the willingness to vaccinate their daughters against HPV. Interventions focused on alleviating racial disparities might better modify the use of the HPV vaccine.