Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake and Its Predictors Among Female Adolescents in Gulu Municipality, Northern Uganda

Abstract

Background

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the putative case of cervical cancer. However, uptake of HPV vaccination is reportedly low in Uganda. This study explored the predictors of HPV vaccination uptake among female adolescents aged 15–18 years in Gulu Municipality, in northern Uganda.

Methods

This was an analytical cross-sectional survey that was conducted among adolescents aged 15–18 years in Gulu Municipality. A structured questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics and a log binomial model were used to analyze the factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake.

Results

Less than a quarter of the female adolescents (22%) aged 15–18 years in Gulu municipality, Gulu district, had been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine. HPV vaccination uptake was lower by 23% among adolescents who stayed with their mothers only (aPR = 0.769, CI = 0.595–0.995, P = 0.046), and by 14% among adolescents whose parents were unmarried (aPR 0.859, CI = 0.776–0.951, P=0.003).

Conclusion

This study reports a low HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents in Gulu Municipality, which is associated with parental perceptions and marital status. Efforts to increase uptake should focus on parents of adolescents.

Keywords:

• human papillomavirus
• cervical cancer
• vaccination uptake
• Uganda

Abbreviations

HPV, Human Papillomavirus; TTI, triadic theory of influence.

Data Sharing Statement

All relevant data are within the paper. The questionnaire used is included in Appendix 1.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical approval was obtained from the research and ethics committee of Clarke International University (UG-REC-0015). Participation was entirely voluntary, and confidentiality was ensured where a copy of the proposal with a consent form was presented for approval before the beginning of the study. Also, written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The anonymity of participants was ensured at all stages of data collection and analysis.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the study participants. We gratefully acknowledge the research assistants who supported the data collection.

Author Contributions

CA, SM, BBJ and IMT conceived the study idea, and participated in study design; data acquisition, analysis, interpretation; and manuscript drafting and revision. SA, SM, BBJ and IMT oversaw the research design, cross-checked data collection tools. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, have agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

The authors of this work did not receive any funding.