Identification of organizational barriers towards HPV vaccination uptake in medical students in Southern Italy: a cross-sectional study
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Published version
Author(s)
Sorrentino, Michele
Mercogliano, Michelangelo
Esposito, Federica
Lamberti, Agostina
Buonocore, Gaetano
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Despite proven efficacy, HPV vaccination coverage is still suboptimal. Factors influencing vaccination uptake are education attainment, socio-economic position, and knowledge about HPV. This study aimed to assess HPV vaccination uptake and its correlates among medical students and identify logistic-organizational barriers, knowledge, and attitude towards HPV vaccination to improve current public health vaccination strategies. Medical students, with their acquired biological knowledge, were selected as low-risk groups for HPV vaccination uptake. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire. The first three years students were preferentially invited. Eventually, the invitation was extended to every medical student. Logistic multivariable regression was used to assess determinants of HPV vaccination uptake. Additional analysis explored determinants of knowledge and attitude toward HPV vaccination. Finally, a sensitive analysis was conducted to further assess the effect of knowledge and attitude on HPV vaccination rate. A total of 882 medical students participated, with 74,5% enrolled in the first three years. HPV vaccination uptake was 55.5%, ranging from 78.5% for females to 16.5% for males. Male sex and increasing age were consistently associated with a lower vaccination uptake (male sex: OR 0.03, CI 0.02-0.05; age: OR 0.77, CI 0.68-0.88), whilst progress in their academic career was associated to higher likelihood of being vaccinated (6th year: OR 3.45, CI 1.24-9.57). These associations were confirmed when considering knowledge and attitude towards HPV. Also, an active outreach from healthcare institutions was associated with higher likelihood of receiving HPV vaccination (OR 1.70, CI 1.09-2.65). HPV vaccination in medical students was higher than general population, however, still suboptimal. An active and up-to-date call strategy and extending the free-of-charge offer are essential measures to improve vaccination uptake. Findings support the need to improve public health strategies and increase awareness and knowledge regarding HPV vaccination.
Date Issued
2023-11-17
Date Acceptance
2023-10-30
Citation
Frontiers in Public Health, 2023, 11
ISSN
2296-2565
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Public Health
Volume
11
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2023 Sorrentino, Mercogliano, Esposito, Lamberti, Buonocore, Riganti, Triassi and Palladino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Identifier
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1272630/full
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1272630
Date Publish Online
2023-11-17