Parents attitudes toward the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine: A new concept in the State of Qatar

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the leading causes of cervical and genital cancer in both genders. Purpose: To delineate parental attitude regarding HPV in Qatar. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Sidra Medicine, Qatar. Results: A total of 334 questioners were completed. More than 60% of the parents were not aware that HPV can cause cervical and genital cancer. When asked about the level of comfort in giving their children a vaccine that would prevent them from getting genital cancer, 77% of the participants answered “very comfortable.” Interestingly, less than 4% of the parents stated that their children's primary care physicians ever mentioned that such a vaccine exists. When asked about the most preferable mode of receiving information regarding the HPV vaccine, 54% preferred the clinician's office, followed by 34% of whom preferred social media. In terms of the preferred age to receive the vaccine, 45% of the participants preferred to administer the vaccine to their children before they were mature enough to understand sexual relations, while 22% recommended vaccination right before marriage and 15% preferred to wait till they were grown up and decide for themselves. Furthermore, only 42% of the caregivers agreed that it is important to explain to their children that the vaccine can protect against some of the sexually transmitted infections. Finally, approximately 20% of the participants were not convinced about the HPV vaccine. Conclusion: A large proportion of parents residing in Qatar have a positive perception regarding the HPV vaccine. TheParents' attitudes and perceptions are considered indispensable targets for community health intervention. We will share the result of our study with the ministry of public health in Qatar with a goal to incorporate the HPV vaccine in the National Immunization Schedule.