Shang Xu

Beyond health: exploring women’s socio-cultural motivations for HPV vaccination

Autonomous motivation is critical to motivating individuals to adopt healthy behaviours. While many studies have explored the medical factors that influence women's autonomous motivation to receive HPV vaccination, sociocultural factors have received less attention. Therefore, this study analyses women's autonomous motivation for HPV vaccination from a sociocultural perspective to gain insight into the generation of women's health decisions. This study conducted in-depth interviews with 19 women at their peak age of infection who had been vaccinated against HPV to examine the socio-cultural factors that drove them to receive HPV vaccination. It used NVivo12 to analyse qualitative data obtained from interviews. The results showed that (1) Demonstrating Personal Independence, (2) Asserting Reproductive Autonomy, (3) Acknowledging Sexual Needs, and (4) Showcasing Health Literacy, Economic Power, and Social Connections were autonomous motivations for women to receive HPV vaccination. Based on these motivations, future vaccine promotion programmes should demonstrate the role of the HPV vaccine for women to become autonomous individuals, as well as clear up misconceptions between the HPV vaccine and sexual shame and reduce the monetary burden of the vaccine to build a friendly and egalitarian vaccination environment.