Redenen om zich te laten vaccineren tegen HPV

Objective

To examine which factors determined the participation in HPV vaccination programme in 2009 and 2010.

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Method

Random samples of Dutch girls who had been invited for the HPV vaccination programme in 2009 and 2010, as well as their mothers, were drawn from an Internet panel. Data were gathered by means of a web-based questionnaire.

Results

The questionnaire was filled out by 243 girls and 511 mothers from cohort 2009, and by 225 girls and 250 mothers from cohort 2010. In both cohorts, the following factors were related to HPV vaccination: perceived susceptibility for cervical cancer, general opinion about the vaccine, anticipated feelings of regret about the decision made, specific beliefs (e.g. about the protective effects of the vaccine), trust in responsible authorities, perceived opinion of others about the vaccination and their HPV vaccination participation, the degree to which vaccination is taken for granted and the extent to which the decision to have oneself vaccinated is unambiguously perceived. In both cohorts, these factors explained a large and significant part of the variation in HPV vaccination; namely, 89% and 81% of the girls and 94% and 82% of the mothers from the cohorts in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Conclusion

This study provides insight into the reasons behind the disappointing participation in the HPV vaccination programme. In order to increase HPV vaccination uptake, future communication should provide balanced information about facts and opinions, and advantages and disadvantages of the vaccination. There should also be room for uncertainty in the choice whether or not to have oneself vaccinated.

Conflict of interest and financial support: the study on which this article is based was supported financially by ZonMw (The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development) and RIVM (The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (www.ntvg.nl; search for A5523, click on ‘Belangenverstrengeling’ (‘Conflict of interest’).