Caregiver acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccine for their female children in Chileka, Blantyre, Malawi

• Published in: Vaccine: X 2024-10, Vol.20, p.100557, Article 100557
• Main Authors: Bwanali, Akim N., Liundi, Petro, Lubanga, Adriano F., Mpinganjira, Samuel L., Gadama, Luis A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Regular paper
• ISSN: 2590-1362; 2590-1362
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100557

•Cervical cancer poses a major health burden in Malawi.•Vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) offers a feasible tool for reducing the burden.•Lack of knowledge on cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine and misconceptions hinder the uptake of the HPV vaccine.•Comprehensive and sustainable awareness programmes should be designed and implemented to address the barriers to HPV vaccination. Malawi is one of the countries enduring an enormous burden of cervical cancer. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination offers a feasible and effective tool for reducing the burden. Such a prospect however, is being impeded by low uptake rates of the HPV vaccine in the country. This study, therefore, sought to identify barriers to caregiver acceptance of the HPV vaccine for their female children in Chileka, Blantyre, Malawi and to establish the consequential willingness to vaccinate their children. A cross-sectional study was conducted using qualitative methods. We conducted 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 4 groups of women and 2 groups of men in 4 villages located in a semi-urban area, Chileka, Blantyre. The guiding questionnaire was designed to draw out two main outcomes: barriers to caregiver acceptance of the HPV vaccine and willingness to vaccinate children. The data was analysed by thematic analysis by an inductive approach using NVivo software version 11. Lack of knowledge on cervical cancer and HPV vaccination coupled with numerous misconceptions are the main barriers discouraging the population from accepting the HPV vaccine. Consequently, there was little desire to get their children vaccinated against HPV. Though responsibility to get the children vaccinated was mainly attributed to women, men argued that they need to have a final say in their children’s vaccination. In the wake of the revealed barriers and low acceptance of the HPV vaccine, it is imperative to organize effective and sustainable awareness programmes for the improvement of the HPV vaccine’s uptake.