Factors affecting children’s HPV vaccination in Austria: Evidence from a parent survey

Figures & data

Table 1. Overview of variables in each section of the questionnaire.

1. Awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV)
Awareness of HPV and its ability to cause diseases	Yes or no
HPV-associated illness in the family	Yes or no
2. Knowledge about HPV	Score ranging from 0 to 7
The composition of the score variable appears in the section of the questionnaire.
3. HPV vaccination behavior
HPV vaccine acceptance for female children, if applicable	Yes or no
HPV vaccine acceptance for male children, if applicable	Yes or no
Appropriate age for HPV vaccination	<10 years, 10–12 years, 13–15 years, 16–18 years, or  > 18 years
HPV vaccine acceptance after the fifth grade	Yes, no, or The fifth grade is appropriate
4. Sources of information about HPV vaccination
Doctor or health professional	Yes or no
Health authorities of Tyrol	Yes or no
Friends or acquaintances	Yes or no
Internet or social media	Yes or no
Informational flyer about the HPV vaccine	Yes or no
5. Attitude toward vaccination	Score ranging from 0 to 9
The composition of the score variable appears in the section of the questionnaire.
6. General questions
Gender	Woman or man
Age
Marital status	Married, in a partnership, single, or divorced
Personal and parents’ migration history	Yes or no
Religious affiliation
Level of education	University degree or no university degree
Partner’s level of education	University degree or no university degree
Employment status	Employed or unemployed
Partner’s employment status	Employed or unemployed
Child has already received vaccination(s) in school	Yes or no

Table 2. Baseline characteristics of survey respondents (N = 334).

Age (in years)
Mean (SD)	43.1 (5.6)
Respondent, n (%)
Mother or maternal guardian	310 (92.8)
Father or paternal guardian	22 (6.6)
Number of children
Median (IQR)	2 (1)
Married or in a partnership, n (%)	298 (89.2)
Religious affiliation, n (%)
Roman Catholic	260 (77.8)
No religious affiliation	39 (11.6)
Level of education, n (%)
No university degree	205 (61.4)
University degree	124 (37.1)
Partner’s level of education, n (%)
No university degree	206 (61.7)
University degree	103 (30.8)
Employment status, n (%)	297 (88.9)
Partner’s employment status, n (%)	298 (89.2)
Migration history, n (%)	28 (8.4)

SD = standard deviation; IQR = interquartile range.

Table 3. Parents’ reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake (N = 492).

HPV vaccine-eligible children, n (%)
Vaccine-eligible female children	271 (55.1)
Vaccine-eligible male children	221 (45.0)
Acceptance of HPV vaccine, n (%)
Female children (n = 271)	232 (85.6)
Male children (n = 221)	171 (77.4)
Total (N = 492)	403 (81.9)

Table 4. Parents’ general vaccination behavior (N = 334).

Would you accept vaccinations for your child when they are older (i.e., after the 5th grade), n (%)
Yes	80 (24.0)
No	21 (6.3)
The fifth grade is appropriate for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination	205 (61.4)
Appropriate age for HPV vaccination, n (%)
<10 years	13 (3.9)
10–12 years	213 (63.8)
13–15 years	67 (20.1)
16–18 years	19 (5.7)
>18 years	12 (3.6)
HPV-associated illness in the family, n (%)	81 (24.2)
Awareness of school-based vaccination program, n (%)	312 (93.4)
Child has been vaccinated in school, n (%)	277 (83.0)
Child is vaccinated against measles, n (%)	314 (94.0)

Table 5. Top reasons why parents (n = 65) rejected vaccinating their children against human papillomavirus (HPV).

Reason for rejecting children’s HPV vaccination, n (%)
Fear of permanent side effects	22 (33.8)
Child is too young for the vaccine	19 (29.2)
Inadequately informed	19 (29.2)
Fear of temporary side effects	12 (18.5)
General rejection of all vaccines	10 (15.4)
Unconvincing information provided by the state of Tyrol	10 (15.4)
Having read discouraging information online	9 (14.8)
Vaccination against HPV is unnecessary given the low risk of infection	8 (12.3)
Only pediatricians vaccinate my child	5 (7.7)
Child missed school on the day of vaccination	4 (6.2)
General practitioner or pediatrician does not believe that the HPV vaccine is necessary	4 (6.2)
Only the vaccine producer benefits from the vaccine	4 (6.2)
Other	5 (7.7)

Table 6. Reported sources of information about vaccination against human papillomavirus (N = 334).

Sources, n (%)
State of Tyrol or school	148 (44.3)
General practitioner, pediatrician, or physician	143 (42.8)
Friends or acquaintances	90 (26.9)
Internet (e.g., Google Search and specific websites)	85 (25.4)
Other	23 (6.9)

Table 7. Model 2–multivariate adjusted factors affecting human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intention.

	Overall		Female children		Male children
Factor	b (SE)	OR (95% CI)	b (SE)	OR (95% CI)	b (SE)	OR (95% CI)
Level of education
No university degree		1		1		1
University degree	−0.28 (0.44)	0.76 (0.32–1.79)	−0.62 (0.63)	0.54 (0.15–1.86)	−0.45 (0.58)	0.63 (0.21–1.96)
Partner’s level of education
No university degree		1		1		1
University degree	0.61 (0.49)	1.48 (0.71–4.78)	0.21 (0.71)	1.24 (0.31–5.00)	0.63 (0.62)	1.88 (0.56–6.31)
Employment status
Unemployed		1		1		1
Employed	0.38 (0.60)	1.47 (0.45–4.79)	0.52 (0.82)	1.69 (0.34–8.36)	−0.46 (0.77)	0.63 (0.14–2.87)
Immigrant status
Non-immigrant		1		1		1
Immigrant	−0.61 (0.65)	0.55 (0.15–1.95)	−0.83 (0.89)	0.44 (0.08–2.49)	−0.71 (0.76)	0.49 (0.11–2.21)
Source(s) of information
Physician	0.42 (0.41)	1.52 (0.68–3.38)	0.91 (0.62)	2.49 (0.73–8.44)	0.46 (0.55)	1.58 (0.54–4.64)
State of Tyrol or school	−0.04 (0.42)	0.96 (0.42–2.20)	0.74 (0.64)	2.10 (0.60–7.36)	0.07 (0.56)	1.07 (0.36–3.20)
Friends or acquaintances	0.01 (0.42)	1.01 (0.45–2.29)	0.25 (0.61)	1.28 (0.39–4.20)	−0.37 (0.54)	0.69 (0.24–2.01)
Internet or social media	−1.11 (0.41)	0.33 (0.15–0.74)**	−0.90 (0.59)	0.41 (0.13–1.29)	−1.72 (0.54)	0.18 (0.06–0.51)**
Knowledge about HPV	0.08 (0.15)	1.08 (0.80–1.46)	0.65 (0.23)	1.92 (1.21–3.04)**	−0.17 (0.21)	0.85 (0.56–1.28)
Negative attitude toward vaccination awareness of HPV	−0.47 (0.08)	0.63 (0.53–0.74)***	−0.57 (0.12)	0.57 (0.45–0.72)***	−0.60 (0.12)	0.55 (0.43–0.70)***
No		1		1		1
Yes	0.90 (0.82)	2.46 (0.50–12.25)	0.33 (1.04)	1.39 (0.18–10.62)	3.85 (1.31)	46.76 (3.60–907.19)**
Family history of HPV-related diseases
No		1		1		1
Yes	0.04 (0.45)	1.04 (0.43–2.50)	0.23 (0.66)	1.26 (0.35–4.57)	−0.27 (0.54)	0.76 (0.27–2.19)
Received an informational flyer about the HPV vaccine
No		1		1		1
Yes	1.05 (0.45)	2.85 (1.19–6.83)*	1.26 (0.62)	3.51 (1.04–11.87)*	0.90 (0.59)	2.46 (0.78–7.80)
Awareness of school-based vaccination program
No		1		1		1
Yes	−0.67 (0.69)	0.51 (0.13–1.98)	−1.29 (0.98)	0.27 (0.04–1.87)	0.08 (1.07)	1.08 (0.13–8.73)
Child has previously been vaccinated in school
No		1		1		1
Yes	0.99 (0.45)	2.69 (1.12–6.43)*	1.34 (0.60)	3.83 (1.18–12.47)*	1.44 (0.59)	4.22 (1.33–13.41)*
Age of parent	−0.02 (0.03)	0.98 (0.92–1.05)	−0.03 (0.05)	0.97 (0.88–1.06)	−0.06 (0.05)	0.94 (0.86–1.03)

The control variable “Number of children per family” was omitted from the table. b = beta coefficient; SE = standard error; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

* p < .05. ** p < .01; *** p < .001.