P3.O298: Ethnic and socioeconomic factors influencing parental attitudes, knowledge and hesitancy towards Human Papilloma Virus vaccine

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is approved for children age 9 and older and is effective against genital warts as well as most HPV associated cancers. However, many parents and caregivers remain hesitant toward vaccination.

Methods: An anonymous survey (available in both English and Spanish) was distributed via REDCap to parents/caregivers in the outpatient setting at UC Irvine Santa Ana pediatric clinic and inpatient unit at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Questions were related to family demographics, vaccine hesitancy, as well as knowledge of recommendations and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine. We evaluated if there were any correlations between family demographics and vaccine hesitancy or parental knowledge about the vaccine. Chi squared analysis was used to calculate statistical significance.

Results: Of 208 parents, 188 (90%) completed the survey. Of those, 66% belonged to minority population and 71% had an annual family income of < 100k. Of 188 respondents, 88.3% reported acceptance of the HPV vaccine. There was no correlation between HPV vaccine hesitancy and demographics factors including ethnicity, age of the child, parental education level, or income level. Additionally, knowledge of age recommendation for HPV vaccination was similar across educational, ethnic, and financial backgrounds. However, families from minority backgrounds, education level less than bachelor’s degree, and annual income level of < 100K were less likely to know about HPV vaccine’s effectiveness against genital warts and cancer in females and males (see Table). Of parents who declined the vaccine, more than half reported that important factors in their hesitancy were that their child would not be sexually active for a long time and their concern over side effects. The limitations of this study include being a single center study which may not represent the general population and the small sample size for further subgroup analysis.

Conclusion: Our study shows HPV vaccine hesitancy was not correlated with socioeconomic factors. However, there were differences in knowledge of the effectiveness of HPV vaccine based on socioeconomic backgrounds. Larger studies are needed to understand the underlying factors responsible for disparities in knowledge about HPV vaccine. Targeted strategies, such as educational programs to increase knowledge surrounding HPV vaccination and addressing hesitancy are warranted.