TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, attitudes and acceptance toward Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: Perspectives of Muslim women and men
T2 - Perspectives of Muslim women and men
AU - Al Alawi, Salma
AU - Al Zaabi, Omar
AU - Heffernan, Margaret E
AU - Arulappan, Judie
AU - Al Hasani, Noora
AU - Al Baluchi, Munira
AU - Al Mamari, Alia
AU - Al Saadi, Amani
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/3/24
Y1 - 2023/3/24
N2 - Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading risk factor for the development of anogenital cancers. Most Arab countries lack both HPV education and national HPV vaccination programs. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance toward HPV vaccination in men and women from Oman, a country in the Middle Eastern North Africa region. Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative study used convenience sampling to recruit male and female participants, aged 18 years and above from all 11 governorates of Oman to complete a validated self-administered questionnaire online in the Arabic language. The questionnaire comprised five sections, with a total of 32 questions. The questionnaire, including Arabic and English versions, was content validated and piloted. Results: A total of 1403 participants, including 952 parents and 369 healthcare providers, completed the survey. The results showed a lack of knowledge regarding HPV infection and vaccines, including among healthcare providers. Less than a quarter of the participants had heard of HPV infection, with digital sources of information being the most common. Factors such as being a woman or a healthcare provider or completing higher levels of education were independently and significantly positively association with HPV awareness (p < 0.001). The majority of the participants lacked vaccine safety knowledge, had concerns about the vaccine's side effects, and sought reassurance of its protection against HPV infection (62%, 71.5%, and 84.6%, respectively). Nevertheless, nearly two-thirds of the participants agreed to take the HPV vaccine, with support for both boys and girls being vaccinated. There was almost universal agreement among the participants regarding the need for parental and adolescent HPV educational programs. Conclusion: Omani women and men showed a high level of acceptance and favorable attitude toward HPV vaccination. The study findings support future efforts to implement school and public-level HPV education and a national HPV vaccination program in Oman.
AB - Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading risk factor for the development of anogenital cancers. Most Arab countries lack both HPV education and national HPV vaccination programs. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance toward HPV vaccination in men and women from Oman, a country in the Middle Eastern North Africa region. Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative study used convenience sampling to recruit male and female participants, aged 18 years and above from all 11 governorates of Oman to complete a validated self-administered questionnaire online in the Arabic language. The questionnaire comprised five sections, with a total of 32 questions. The questionnaire, including Arabic and English versions, was content validated and piloted. Results: A total of 1403 participants, including 952 parents and 369 healthcare providers, completed the survey. The results showed a lack of knowledge regarding HPV infection and vaccines, including among healthcare providers. Less than a quarter of the participants had heard of HPV infection, with digital sources of information being the most common. Factors such as being a woman or a healthcare provider or completing higher levels of education were independently and significantly positively association with HPV awareness (p < 0.001). The majority of the participants lacked vaccine safety knowledge, had concerns about the vaccine's side effects, and sought reassurance of its protection against HPV infection (62%, 71.5%, and 84.6%, respectively). Nevertheless, nearly two-thirds of the participants agreed to take the HPV vaccine, with support for both boys and girls being vaccinated. There was almost universal agreement among the participants regarding the need for parental and adolescent HPV educational programs. Conclusion: Omani women and men showed a high level of acceptance and favorable attitude toward HPV vaccination. The study findings support future efforts to implement school and public-level HPV education and a national HPV vaccination program in Oman.
KW - Attitudes
KW - Cervical cancer
KW - HPV knowledge
KW - HPV vaccine
KW - Human papillomavirus
KW - Muslim
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UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/95de808d-337a-3f7d-addd-47d173f8d090/
U2 - 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.063
DO - 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.063
M3 - Article
SN - 0264-410X
VL - 41
SP - 2224
EP - 2233
JO - Vaccine
JF - Vaccine
IS - 13
ER -