Yijun Liu

Knowledge of HPV, its vaccines, and attitudes toward HPV vaccines among obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatricians and immunization services providers in Western China

In mainland China, HPV vaccines have been available to the public. However, only a few related studies among health care providers, as the key information providers, were reported although public concerns on HPV vaccines still exist. In this study, we aim to assess the knowledge of HPV, its vaccines, and attitudes toward HPV vaccines among the three most important groups of health care providers in Western China. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Health care providers including obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs), pediatricians, and immunization service providers in Western China were investigated regarding their knowledge of HPV and its vaccines and their attitudes toward HPV vaccines. Of 1079 health care providers completing the survey, 1015 (94.1%) knew HPV infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer. However, lower knowledge levels of other HPV-related diseases were also found (43.2%). About three-quarters (74.1%) of practitioners interviewed would be willing to recommend HPV vaccination, which was found to be lower among the OB-GYNs (69.6%) and the pediatricians (73.2%). "Lack of relevant knowledge," "concerns on safety and efficacy" and price were the three most important concerns surrounding HPV vaccination. The interviewed practitioners did not have adequate knowledge of HPV and its vaccines in depth. Education interventions are highly recommended to the health care providers, especially for OB-GYNs and pediatricians, to increase the coverage of HPV vaccination among the population. For the currently high price of vaccines, a future co-sharing mechanism between the government, the providers, and the individuals might be a solution.

Awareness regarding and vaccines acceptability of human papillomavirus among parents of middle school students in Zunyi, Southwest China

The objective of this study was to investigate the parent cognition of information regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) and their willingness toward HPV vaccination of their middle-school-aged children in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China.The results provide a basis for improving the awareness concerning HPV-related information as a key vaccination strategy for implementing the HPV vaccine in the local context. Methods include the random cluster sampling method and questionnaires to survey parents. General descriptive and single-factor analyses were used to assess cognition to determine factors influencing vaccine willingness. Of 1,074 parents, 28.2% (302) and 38.0% (408) had heard of HPV and its vaccine before the survey, and when given HPV-related information, 73.9% (794) parents were willing to vaccinate their children. Reasons why parents did or did not want the vaccination were surveyed, with lack of sufficient knowledge about HPV and its vaccine being the primary reason to refuse vaccination. Concerns about safety, effectiveness, and perceiving low risk are the biggest obstacle in promoting vaccination. When the price is <1000, most parents (56.1%) are willing to vaccinate their children; thus, cost is also one of the concerns. Therefore, strategies for improving public awareness regarding the risk of cervical cancer and confidence in vaccination must be considered by policymakers.If the national authority confirms that the vaccine is safe and effective, the vaccine should be included in the national immunization program to increase publicity, address safety concerns, and allow for price regulation.

Effect of an educational intervention on human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge and attitudes towards HPV vaccines among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Western China

Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a key role in the recommendation of HPV vaccination. Our study aimed to understand to what extent a structured health intervention could change the knowledge and attitudes toward HPV and its vaccines among HCWs in Western China. This was a multi-center, questionnaire-based interventional study conducted across 12 cities of seven provinces in Western China, from November 2018 to July 2019. Participants were recruited from local health systems by e-invitation. Questionnaires were administered to participants before and after the intervention. A total of 1448 HCWs attended the educational lectures and 1354 participants completed both pre- and post-study questionnaires. In general, HCWs had satisfactory baseline knowledge regarding HPV and its vaccines compared with other populations, and a significantly higher knowledge level was observed after the intervention. However, some more specific knowledge on the vaccination procedures, other HPV-related diseases and whether HPV testing was required before vaccination was relatively poor. Following the educational intervention, the correct responses to the above questions increased ( Educational intervention on HPV and its vaccines is effective in improving HCWs' knowledge levels and willingness to recommend HPV vaccines. Future educational interventions should focus more on knowledge regarding HPV-related diseases and HPV vaccination. Education campaigns targeting rural HCWs are urgently needed in the near future.