A national survey on HPV vaccination status among 42,800 female physicians and nurses in China, 2021
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the most effective method to prevent cervical cancer. This study aimed to investigate the status of HPV vaccination and associated factors among Chinese females. Between January and March 2021, we conducted a large national survey among female doctors and nurses in 181 public tertiary hospitals across all 31 provinces of China. In the survey, we asked three questions: "Have you ever received an HPV vaccination? If yes, what type and in which year?" We described and compared the proportion of vaccination coverage according to occupation, age, geographic region, education, marital status, among other factors. Among 42,800 participants, 6185 (14.45 %) reported receiving HPV vaccination. Physicians showed a slightly higher vaccination rate (2064/13,804; 14.95 %) than nurses (4121/28,996, 14.21 %). Factors significantly associated with higher vaccination rates included younger age, being never married or divorced, higher education, better self-reported health status, residing in the western region, working in Obstetrics and Gynecology or Surgery departments, working at cancer hospitals, and being nulliparous. Regarding vaccine types, the 4-valent vaccine accounted for 50.3 %, followed by the 9-valent (33.7 %), imported 2-valent (16.0 %). Understanding the characteristics of the likelihood of receiving HPV vaccination among female physicians and nurses in China indicates their awareness of the risk for cervical cancer, which could help us better develop primary prevention strategies.
