Knowledge and awareness of HPV vaccination uptake and recommendations in gulf cooperation council countries 2009–2025: a systematic review
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Al-Khaldi, Samiya
Tabche, Celine
Atwan, Zeenah
Rawaf, Salman
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Cervical cancer, largely caused by persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), remains a preventable disease through timely vaccination. However, in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the uptake of the HPV vaccine has been inconsistent, and public knowledge remains limited. This systematic review aims to synthesise available evidence on HPV vaccine awareness, uptake, barriers, enablers, and recommendations in the GCC region.
Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted across major databases to identify studies published till March 2025. Eligible studies included cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, and descriptive studies reporting on HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, vaccine uptake, barriers, enablers, and recommendations in the six GCC countries. Data were extracted and synthesised thematically. The screening process followed PRISMA guidelines, and 52 studies were included in the final analysis.
Results: The study included 52 articles. While awareness of cervical cancer was moderate to high in several studies, knowledge of HPV infection and the HPV vaccine was generally low. Actual vaccine uptake rates were poor across all countries, with most reporting rates below 10%, except for Abu Dhabi, which reported the highest uptake (>95%) through its school-based programme. Key barriers included lack of knowledge, safety concerns, cultural and religious beliefs, cost, and the absence of national immunisation programmes. Enablers included personal willingness, trust in healthcare providers, prior health education, and availability of free vaccination. The studies recommended urgent policy change across GCC countries to incorporate the HPV vaccine into national vaccination programmes.
Conclusion: Despite the established link between HPV and cervical cancer, vaccine uptake remains low across the GCC due to persistent knowledge gaps, sociocultural barriers, and systemic limitations. This review highlights the urgent need for coordinated public health strategies that prioritise education, equitable access, and national policy integration.
Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted across major databases to identify studies published till March 2025. Eligible studies included cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, and descriptive studies reporting on HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, vaccine uptake, barriers, enablers, and recommendations in the six GCC countries. Data were extracted and synthesised thematically. The screening process followed PRISMA guidelines, and 52 studies were included in the final analysis.
Results: The study included 52 articles. While awareness of cervical cancer was moderate to high in several studies, knowledge of HPV infection and the HPV vaccine was generally low. Actual vaccine uptake rates were poor across all countries, with most reporting rates below 10%, except for Abu Dhabi, which reported the highest uptake (>95%) through its school-based programme. Key barriers included lack of knowledge, safety concerns, cultural and religious beliefs, cost, and the absence of national immunisation programmes. Enablers included personal willingness, trust in healthcare providers, prior health education, and availability of free vaccination. The studies recommended urgent policy change across GCC countries to incorporate the HPV vaccine into national vaccination programmes.
Conclusion: Despite the established link between HPV and cervical cancer, vaccine uptake remains low across the GCC due to persistent knowledge gaps, sociocultural barriers, and systemic limitations. This review highlights the urgent need for coordinated public health strategies that prioritise education, equitable access, and national policy integration.
Date Issued
2026-04-21
Date Acceptance
2026-02-17
Citation
Archives of Public Health, 2026, 84 (1)
ISSN
0778-7367
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Public Health
Volume
84
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s13690-026-01875-6
Subjects
HPV
Papillomavirus vaccine
GCC
Cancer prevention
Public health
Vaccination
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 81
Date Publish Online
2026-03-13